Band of Shinobi: Those Who Carry the Will of Fire
by LordHughes
Summary: "The First Thing every shinobi must learn before they can call themselves a ninja...is their nindo, or ninja way. Without that you are worthless..." AU, Next-GEN Naruto Fic!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Ten Years Ago…_

_The Fourth Ninja War raged across the land. Destruction and disaster spread across the earth like a poison in the body, and stretched even to the most secluded parts of the Five Shinobi Nations. The whole Ninja world trembled under the pressure of losing their free will. _

_At the Hokage Summit, the five major nations, Konohagakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure and Iwagakure took arms together. The forces of the Shinobi Alliance banded together to stop the great threat of the evil Madura Uchiha and his attempts to create a new ninja world. _

_It wasn't long before the great Madara was betrayed by the first original great evil, who first unleashed the dark shroud of Sin upon the human race. Her name was Kaguya Otsutsuki, mother of the Sage of Six Paths._

_Two warriors…each embodying the forces of Yin and Yang, were chosen to fight the forces of this great darkness. _

_Breaking the generations-long feud between both their families, they banded together to combine their strengths and rid the world of Shinobi of all evil…_

* * *

><p><strong>~Ten Years Later-Konohagakure~<strong>

The howl of the northern winds were righteous.

Destiny had taken its' course and was finally reaching it's endpoint in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Any man who felt its power understood what this day in history finally meant, not only to the land of fire, but to the world of ninja as a whole. A hawk flew high over the village, its vision focused heavily on the conundrum happening below. It finally stopped and perched itself on the arm of a masked man who sat and watched from the balcony of his old home.

People were lined up, and thousands of them.

Almost every person hoisted a headband on their forehead, with the traditional leaf village symbol on it. Some wore green vests and came in all different shapes and sizes. Children, the elderly, women, and Shinobi alike gathered on either side of the long dirt paths leading up to a big building with a red roof. Behind that building was a small mountain that overlooked the city, which had five stone formation faces on it.

The one farthest to the left was a man with long, straight hair; the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who had founded the village. Next to him was an armored-faced man with wild spiky hair; the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who was responsible for establishing many of the systems Konohagakure now used today such as the ANBU, police force, and the Ninja Academy. The middle figure was an older looking man with a long pointy beard; the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was the longest living Hokage and was responsible for raising many of the splendid ninja who emerged from the village.

The fourth face was a young man's face, with spiky hair. He was the fourth Hokage; Minato Namikaze; who saved the village from a tailed beast many years in the past. He was one of the greatest ninja to ever come from the village. Finally, the last bust was a sole woman. She had a diamond carved into her head and was named Lady Tsunade, who was the world's greatest medical ninja. Tsunade was the fifth Hokage. These were the great leaders of the village hidden in the leaves throughout history.

The people laid roses and flower petals all over the ground, while children blew into little plastic horns. Signs hung from balconies and windows which read, "Welcome the dawn of a new era" on each one. Confetti and paper streamers flew through the air and music could be heard. The masked man, who's right eye alone was uncovered, could only feel one emotion. Joy.

As he reclined in his chair, he gently stroked the back of his pet's neck and smiled underneath the mask. "Quite a sight huh, my old friend?" He asked it. "It almost feels like I'm in a dream…" He looked into the plain air as the great winds waved his grey hair from side to side. He sat completely relaxed, as any man would after his time in service ended. The man had seen a lot of violence, the things that had shaped him into what he was. The only thing he had the energy to do nowadays was sit back and reminisce on his younger days, even though he wasn't terribly old. He found it funny that a man in his middle age, considered himself "old." But he knew that that was what the life as a Shinobi did to people. What a man would experience at the age of 10 as a Shinobi would be enough to cause a grown regular citizen to go mad.

It wasn't until a loud blast of ceremonial horns sounded, that the man snapped out of his trance and turned his attention down to the main road. A giant white convoy, carried on both sides by men wearing leaf village vests, eased its way up to road toward the Hokage tower. Thunderous applause accompanied the arrival of it. People cheered hysterically, some even shedding tears. Love exuded from the whole village, something which the world had been lacking since the Fourth Great War. The man stood and applauded heartily and the big bird flapped itself onto the balcony ledge from the masked man's lap.

"Finally… The times have caught up with me." The legendary ninja said to himself with a slight chuckle.

Gentle hands suddenly messaged his shoulders. "...I had to go downstairs and just take it all in. It's such a splendid ceremony." moaned a soft voice from behind him. The man turned his head around slowly. A beautiful women with long brown hair smiled warmly back at him. The man smiled back at her, "…Splendid is an understatement...Look how far we've come." He stood from his chair to face her.

She embraced her husband, and rested her head on his chest. "It finally looks as if the old Hatake Kakashi can finally settle down."

"…Possibly. There's no other place I'd rather be, Ayame."

He gently stroked her hair. "I'm happy..."

"So am I, Kakashi." She responded.

* * *

><p><strong>~Hokage Tower-Konohagakure~<strong>

An old woman sat on the head chair in the Hokage tower. She rubbed her chin as her face stayed completely still. Her eyebrows furrowed intensely, and she sat deep in thought. Her vacant hand that wasn't rubbing her chin was tapping on the desk in a fixed rhythm, although it was doubtful that she was very aware of the rhythmic tune at all. The old woman had blonde hair, and was an older looking version of the fifth stone head on the Hokage memorial tower. The name-tag sitting on her desk read, _"Godaime Hokage: Lady Tsunade."_

Inside the room sat two other women. One of them had black short hair, and wore a pair of glasses. Beside her sat a fat boar, sitting rather docile with no agitation whatsoever. The other woman was younger than the two others. She was very pretty with lovely emerald eyes, and bright pink hair. They were the apprentices of Lady Tsunade, both being acclaimed medical ninja like herself.

"Shizune…Sakura…" uttered the Hokage, breaking the long uncomfortable silence in the air. She continued to stare at her desk.

The two apprentices turned their attention to her, almost with the same amount of exasperation. "Yes, lady Tsunade?" they both blurted out simultaneously.

She glanced at both of them with her two fierce eyes. "…I was extremely skeptical about this decision at first but…" Tsunade started, voice in a monotone. "…I remembered the bond between the two of those boys..."

Sakura let out a subtle smile, seeing that Tsunade had finally warmed up to the decision that took ten years to decide. "I think that you're making the right decision, Lady Tsunade. Don't forget what was suggested to you…" She advised. Shizune nodded in agreement.

Tsunade nodded in acknowledgement, and swallowed her spit. _"Never In a million years would I thought this guy, of all people, would be my successor..." _

Suddenly there was a knocking at the door directly across from the Hokage chair. The three jumped a little bit and turned their attention to it. Tsunade closed her eyes and she took a very deep inhale, and then followed by a long exhale. Afterward, she opened her eyes slowly, and took a final look out from the window. She looked at her people. Descendants of the famous clans representing the leaf village filled the crowds. "It's time." She said with a smirk. "Come in!"

The door opened slowly.

The man took two steps into the room, and then stood in the dead center. His hands were at his side, and his stern, thin lips, sat clenched like a stone. Tsunade looked him dead in the eyes. The man looked back at her with the same sharp focus. However, there was no hatred in either of their eyes. Nothing struck Tsunade as threatening, no matter how much she tried to deny it to herself. All she could really see was a man who had washed himself clean of all prior demons. His raven black hair and his strong jawline made him look as noble as possible.

"Spread your arms." Tsunade said as she stood up.

The man complied with the order and spread his arms out wide to either side of him. Tsunade motioned to Shizune, and pointed to a closet in one corner of the room. Shizune nodded, and walked over to the corner and opened the door. Out of the closet she pulled white robes, with flame accents at the bottom; the Hokage suit, along with a large sun hat with the same design.

Tsunade looked back at him. "The Will of Fire was entrusted to you as a child and you rejected it..."

The man's face stayed stoic and straight.

"You are the sole cause of much of the turmoil our village had to endure...and in my eyes, your loyalty to this village is still highly questionable!" She clenched her teeth and balled up her fist.

Sakura and Shizune looked at the scene, both knew that they couldn't enter the fray just yet.

"However..." Said Tsunade, closing her eyes. "...You are still qualified to accept this offer as my successor. I've had my doubts about you, and the only reason why you're here in this office right now is because I respect the opinion of a dear friend of mine. Do you understand that?" She said. Her tone was sharp and elegantly fierce. The woman looked back up to him.

The man nodded, "I understand." He simply replied, answering with a subtle smirk.

Tsunade sighed one last time."Sasuke Uchiha..." She said.

"…You have been selected to be the Sixth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village."

* * *

><p><strong>~That Evening~<strong>

The sun was setting, and the reddish sun was sinking behind the heads of the five stone Hokage faces. Sasuke Uchiha, still wrapped in robes and wearing the over-sized hat from that morning, looked out upon his village. The village he was born in, the village he had experienced his first feelings of loss in, the village he sought to destroy once, and ultimately, the village he ended up saving.

The Uchiha clansmen had conflicting feelings about this place called the hidden leaf throughout his life. The only issue for him now was how to feel about everything at this particular moment. It was only nine years ago that he had risked his life to save the whole world and fought alongside some of these people. He had such hatred for everyone at one point and realized that his hate would only drag him deeper into despair. Giving up that mentality was a hard thing for Sasuke to do.

Shikamaru Nara had turned down the job a few months prior, and it turned out a special someone had recommended him for the honorable duty. Virtually everyone knew who it was, Sasuke included, however this man's name had been so tied to folklore, nobody felt comfortable addressing him as if he was just some other leaf shinobi. Sasuke knew that his friend's act of peace had officially ended the longtime feud between the Uchiha and Senju clans. This conclusion is what helped Sasuke realize what his role would be. He had been forgiven by the village and its people, but he had not forgiven himself.

"Well, well, don't you look spiffy in that Orange and white Sasuke!" A voice blurted from behind out of nowhere.

Sasuke immediately smiled and let out a slight chuckle. _"Speak of the devil." _He thought. "I'm more of a blue-black person…but I could definitely get used to this." He turned around slowly.

There he stood. The man with the fox whiskers and hair that could pass off as a Super Saiyan's. His clinched eyelids covered his deep blue eyes, but below his flaring nose was a wide array of sharp teeth. "My pops definitely had some style didn't he? I swear Hokages get the best gear for free!" said Naruto Uzumaki, the great sage of Yang. He had many names across the globe, but anyone would be just fine for him. He carried a long stick in his hand, and wore nothing but an orange shirt and some long blue pants that stopped right above his ankles.

"Hah." Sasuke uttered. "I don't think I need any more merchandise that reminds me of your ass at all times of the day."

"It's ok to love me Sausy! I love you too buddy boy!" Naruto said laughing heartily.

Sasuke wiped some sweatbeads off of his forehead. "Shut up. You can't still be a complete idiot before leaving on your little escapade, can you?"

"I'm just joking with you." Naruto said wrapping his arm around his friend's neck, "...I can't have a little fun? I guess I just feel relaxed haha."

Sasuke looked at him with a slight bit of confusion. "Relaxed? I just don't understand how you could be so calm. I mean after all, your trip is –"

Naruto cut him off. "Yea, yea, yea! 'Completely vital to the safety of the Ninja world and future generations…yada, yada."

"If I were you I'd take this more seriously, Naruto..." Sasuke replied, after a sigh.

"...Well, you take everything too seriously! That's how it's always been." Naruto replied jubilantly. "Pervy-sage always used to tell me to enjoy myself especially when the task seems too challenging."

Sasuke smirked, "...So you're nervous then?"

"Nervous?" Naruto replied raising an eyebrow.

Sasuke replied with a simple nod, "...You can't change everybody in this world." He said.

Naruto stopped and pondered a bit about Sasuke's comment, he rubbed his chin and looked up into the sky. "Well...see Sasuke..If there's anything else pervy-sage thought me when I was younger, it was that we all have the potential to help someone tap into places they've never been…whether mentally or physically. I guessed I learned that rather naturally without even consciously thinking about it." He said with a chuckle.

Sasuke listened closer.

"...However…I'm no longer worried about saving people anymore, Sasuke…" He turned away from his friend. "…That's something that we did that together, you and I. Now, it's all about showing people what type of place this earth can be if we all find the guts to journey into that unknown place inside ourselves." He said with a smile. "Finding that untapped potential…you know what I mean?"

Sasuke looked at him. "…I see…" He responded.

Naruto stuck a finger up. "...And finding that potential can only be by choice... So in a way, there's no way I can 'fail' this one...I trust that you'll keep my home in good hands..?" Naruto responded, putting his warm hand on Sasuke's shoulder now. "You know…I used to have such big dreams of becoming Hokage…"

Sasuke chuckled a bit. "Yes…I'm aware."

Naruto looked up at him. "But…a hokage's real responsibility is to make the decisions that are best for his people right?"

"True."

"...So I guess by putting it in your hands…I've reached my own level of 'Hokage' too then."

Naruto stuck out his pinky. Sasuke looked at it for a second in slight confusion, and then looked back up at Naruto. The former Jinchuuriki said nothing, just gazed at him in return. Sasuke then caught the message and smiled, sticking his pinky out and connecting it to Naruto's own outstretched finger.

"Good Luck." They both said to each other at the same time.

* * *

><p>As Naruto walked off up the path leading toward the exit of the village, Sasuke watched him. The back of his old dingy shirt showed the swirl of the Uzumaki Clan. He knew that Naruto had saved not only humanity along with Sasuke, but Sasuke's life as well. Sasuke now understood Gaara. He understood Haku. He understood now why everyone changed their being after coming into contact with Naruto.<p>

He realized that the man named Naruto Uzumaki wasn't any one being. Naruto Uzumaki was the light that united the ninja world. His pilgrimage would be to an unknown destination, and Sasuke couldn't have the slightest Idea of when he'd return. However, he knew what his friend was doing would be for the good of many across the earth.

Sasuke blinked and something very peculiar happened.

As Naruto walked, his modest rags started to look like rich elegant robes. His walking stick became a gallant staff with a circular blade at the end. Six spheres of light circled around on his back.

Sasuke then rubbed his eyes once more and saw nothing peculiar about Naruto this time. Same orange shirt, and blue pants hanging down to his ankles.

"…_Strange…very strange..."_

**~Those Who Hoist the Will of Their Fathers~**


	2. Chapter 1: Ryoji Kosumosu!

**Chapter 1: ****Ryoji Kosumosu!**

**Chapter Illustration: ****Naruto walks down a dirt path, elegant robes drag on the floor, while his staff is in his hand. Chakra spheres circle around his head like a crown. However, underneath is his regular clothing. A baby frog follows him eagerly.**

* * *

><p><strong>~One Year Later-Konohagakure~<strong>

5 AM…

The village of Konohagakure was shrouded in a deep darkness. The sun wouldn't come up for another thirty minutes, and it seemed like almost every villager was trying to use every last minute of their sleeping time. Today was the 23rd of September, signifying the first day of a new school year at the ninja academy. It had been slightly more than one year after Sasuke Uchiha had been appointed Rokudaime of the Hidden Leaf Village. His stoic, handsome face had already been engraved on the Memorial right next to that of Lady Tsunade.

The village, which had been tattered by war ten years ago, was back into the tip-top shape it had been in previous generations before the string of invasions. With Sasuke being the Hokage for more than a year now, and a year since Naruto Uzumaki had departed for his journey the village was finally in a time of peace and tranquility. After an hour, the sound of a bird cawed loudly, like that of a morning horn.

The sun arose at about 5:50. The darkness lifted and it signified the beginning of the new day. At the far side of town was a small house, green in color, with an old, wooden door. The sign in the front of the estate read, _"Kosumosufamiri No Homo" _or "Home of the Kosumosu family." Inside the house, and up the staircase, was a room.

From the Inside of it was a loud snoring sound. It was the type of belligerent snoring that one could only pull off when in a deep sleep. The boy that slept was in a white tee shirt and a pair of small boxers. His leg was almost completely off of the bed and the bed sheets, which were kicked all over the place, only kept the measly ankle of his other leg warm. His arm was leaning on the headboard while his other arm was lodged under a pillow. Thick drool ran down his cheek and laid itself onto the pillow that his head was rested on.

His alarm clock had went off at 6:00 Am and blasted repeatedly. The sleeping boy was unfazed by this, and was so deep in sleep that he wouldn't even budge at the sound of the beeping. Outside the room, was an elderly woman in a robe.

"_I knew I couldn't trust that boy to wake up for school on his own." _She thought, shaking her head.

She pushed open the door, and hobbled over to the boy's bed. "Ryoji..." she said, tapping him with her scrawny finger.

He didn't budge, just continued to snore.

She signed and turned her attention to his alarm clock, which was blasting louder and louder with each second he didn't wake up. The old woman stuck out her hand, pointing it towards the noisy machine, and let out a small grunt. The alarm clock exploded within seconds with a loud bang. Pieces of mental and screws flew all across the small room.

The boy woke up with a jolt. "What the hell?!" He shouted in shock, looking from left to right frantically. He popped out of bed and saw his grandmother, looking at him. "Grandma I think we're under attack!" He yelled, looking from side to side for a place to crawl under.

The old woman karate chopped him on his forehead in lightning speed. "Quiet you fool." She said sternly. "…You didn't remember that it was your first day at the Ninja Academy?"

"Ninja...Academy?"

"Yes Ryoji Kosumosu...today is the 23rd of September, I warned you of your over-sleeping habits last night!"

The boy looked at her, perplexed. "I'm Sorry Grandma." He said rubbing his red forehead. Ryoji looked at the remains of his alarm clock, "…Not my alarm clock again!" He yelled in shock.

"Well it's not like you use the damn thing anyway. You have to report to the school in an hour, so I suggest you start getting ready now." The woman said, changing her demeanor to a smile. "I prepared your lunch for you. Make sure you take the small piece of paper on the counter as well."

The boy calmed down. "Thanks Grandma."

The old woman stroked his silky, maroon shaded hair. Ryoji looked at her, with his green eyes.

"You look like your father more and more every day." She said kissing his forehead. This made him smile.

"I'm sure you'll be a splendid Shinobi, ootoko. You're already looking big and strong!"

His grandmother's encouragement gave the boy a seemingly new sense of hope and energy. "I will grandma! You'll see!" He responded, pumping his fist.

* * *

><p>Ryoji Kosumosu walked down a dirt path. He wore green shirt and some dark brown pants, with a pair of brown sandals. His shirt hand a symbol of a tree at the back of it with many branches. His hair was wild, and spiked up and down to his upper back like lion's mane. He carried his lunchbox, and removed the small piece of paper from the little side-pouch that was sticking out.<p>

The Hyuga estate felt like miles from where he lived, and he had time to kill before he reached it. He stopped walking, and upon opening the small piece of paper, Ryoji saw his most basic information. His name, birthdate, gender, height, weight, blood type, eye color, hair color, and parent signature was all present on the sheet. His grandmother's signature was written on the tiny line at the bottom of the slip. In the top left corner was writing in big red ink. It read, _"Room #203, Instructor: S. Konohamaru."_ Ryoji sighed, and put the paper in his pocket.

After half an hour, he had finally reached the famed Hyuga estate. One of the most historic and sacred places in Konoha, the Hyuga estate was the main stationary home to members of the Hyuga clan, one of the four original clans of the leaf village. The fortress was covered by high metal gates, and the grass on the estate's lawn was perfectly trimmed. The marble sidewalks were stainless, and no one could get in without prior authorization. It was clear that the Hyuga people were big on privacy, and Ryoji waited outside of the gates impatiently. He banged on the gate fiercely and peered through the steel bars, scanning the area for any sign of people. A man, dressed in robes came from a small building. Ryoji looked into his eyes, they were almost completely featureless, and were a creamy milk color. He had long, dark hair and a tattoo on his forehead. Ryoji looked at him, upward and down again.

"Uh." He started, as the man looked at him with a straight emotionless face. "Is Kiyo home or something?"

The Hyuga clansmen nodded, still wordless, and headed into another building silently.

There were two predominant buildings in the Hyuga estate. One was a big, marvelous building, which seemed to gleam although it was a regular white. It was surrounded by other nice, small buildings. Delicate flowers were planted around it in a tasteful fashion. Across a long walk way of white bricks, led to another smaller house. This house was relatively big, but not like its neighbor. Surrounding that home, were other older and more worn out buildings. Each side of the compound itself had the signs "Main" and "Branch".

After about 15 minutes of waiting, Ryoji who sat on the floor outside the estate was ready to leave. Suddenly, a boy with pale skin and long brown hair came from an opened gate to meet him. He had a smile on his face, and was glad to see his friend. Ryoji, who heard the gate lock itself, turned around quickly.

"Ryoji!" The pale boy greeted, putting his arms up in celebration. The two high-fived each other.

"Kiyo! Where have you been for the summer man?!" Ryoji asked, just as excited to see him.

"A summer's worth of ceremony can really kick your butt." Kiyo responded, hands on his hips. "I never knew that going into the Ninja academy was such a big deal to my family."

The two started to walk down the road towards the village square, the academy wasn't too far from there. "What the heck is 'Ceremony'?" Ryoji asked, scratching his head.

"It's basically a celebration thing for new Hyuga clan members enrolling into the Ninja Academy. We get alot of gifts and have to do alot of studying...really lame in my opinion." Kiyo explained with a shrug at the end.

"What'd you get?" The maroon haired boy pointed to a backpack that Kiyo held slug over his shoulder. Kiyo caught the motion and looked at the bag as well.

"My mom said I can't tell anyone, but it's just some dumb scrolls and gifts from my aunt and family members in the Main Branch. Never got a chance to put them away." The young hyuga boy said, shrugging some more.

Ryoji nodded, impressed. "I wish I could've got a whole bunch of gifts when I got enrolled. All I got was my alarm clock destroyed" He said with a laugh.

"Honestly, It's not all that big of a deal. Just kinda cool I guess. Most of the stuff I get is like dumb books and school supplies." Kiyo responded, "I'm gonna be a ninja for goodness sakes'. What does a guy like me need stuff like that for?"

"That's so lame man."

"Heck yeah it is. I already know my family history, and we did basic math and literature back when I was younger. But hey, what can I do about it right? Family comes first."

The statement slightly struck Ryoji in his chest. He turned away slightly, "…Yeah. Family first." He said to himself, under his breath.

"We should get a move-on down to the academy; we only have like 10 minutes left." Kiyo proclaimed, patting his friend's shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>~Ninja Academy, Konohagakure~<strong>

The boys stood outside the Ninja Academy. It was a big building which loomed over the small area in East Konoha. Ryoji smirked at the building, almost shaking with excitement at the opportunity which stood before him. Kiyo, on the other hand, had a straight, almost weary, face.

"You ready? Let's fuckin go!" Ryoji said, walking towards the open door with a hop in his step. He jogged up the steps and was about to head inside, noticing that his friend wasn't tagging along, he turned around. Kiyo stood in the exact same place. "What's wrong? Are you scared or something?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kiyo looked downward. "No way I'm scared…" He said in a low tone, "…I'm just thinking about some stuff."

Ryoji walked towards him. "Like what?"

The Hyuga boy let out a small sight, "Everyone always talks about my father and how great he was…"

Ryoji raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I heard he was a pretty badass dude." He answered.

"Well..." Kiyo said, "...This is where it all started for him, The Ninja Academy... What if-"

"Don't talk like that!" Ryoji shouted, shaking his Hyuga friend by his shoulders back and forth. "I can already see where this is going!"

"Seriously Ryoji..." Kiyo responded. "...What if I'm not at his level..?"

"What's the matter with you Kiyo!? Get yourself together!" Ryoji shouted.

Kiyo paid attention.

"Last time I checked, this was your life man. Not your father's or anyone else's! You gotta be the best you can be, and I think you'll be a great shinobi!" He preached. "Stop being such a pussy, it's just school…"

Kiyo smirked, "I'm no pussy..." He said.

"Prove it..."

The young Hyuga nodded his head. "…10 ryo I can beat you to the classroom…" He said. Kiyo pushed Ryoji's head downward into the ground, and sprinted towards the door.

"Dammit!" Ryoji said fixing his hair. He sprinted in after him.

* * *

><p><strong>~Classroom #203, Ninja Academy, Konohagakure~<strong>

The two had finally reached the classroom. Ryoji peeked inside first, and then proceeded to open the door. Inside were many students. Kiyo estimated well over 30 children in the big lecture hall. They were all about the same age, and were engaged in activities ranging from typical childish mischief, to sitting alone and reading.

The two boys found two vacant chairs sitting side by side and chose to occupy them. "This is gonna be so awesome. Look at all the kids." Ryoji said to his friend, nudging him with his elbow.

"I'm not much of a social person anyway, but I can dig it." Kiyo responded.

"Awh shut up."

Ryoji looked amongst all the other kids, loud chatter filled the room. It was almost a surprise that anyone could hear each other's conversation. Only a few of the children had noticed a man walk into the room with a backpack. He placed it gently on his headmaster desk, and let out a slight cough into his enclosed fist. He wore a tight blue jumpsuit under an official green leaf shinobi vest. He wore a shinobi headband on his forehead and had brown spiky hair.

The man looked over the bunch and stood center stage, with his hands folded behind his back. The few students that recognized his intentions faced forward and waited for him to utter a word. The rest chattered away not even noticing he was there.

"Listen up!" He shouted loudly kicking his desk.

Everyone in the room jumped up and faced him. The conversations ended immediately.

"Good, now that I have your attention…" Said the man as he turned around to the chalkboard and grabbed a stick of chalk from the desk. "I am Sarutobi Konohamaru, and I will be your instructor for the next few years at this academy." He wrote his name on the chalkboard. "As you can see, the name of our beloved village is within my name. Here's a slight history lesson about myself…I am the grandson of the 3rd Hokage himself, and the nephew of Sarutobi Asuma."

_"Oh...big whoop not impressed..." _Ryoji thought, straight-faced.

_"Wow...a Sarutobi..." _Kiyo thought, star-struck.

"I was a pupil of a few very important Shinobi from our village. I've been on countless tours of duty, and I've been recognized as a key member of the Hokage's advising council. So, naturally, there's no other suitable shinobi better to teach you than I." Konohamaru said facing his students, a wide smile appearing on his face as his thumb pointed directly at himself.

"My sole purpose is to pass the Will of Fire onto you snotty nosed idiots." He said waving his pointer finger across the large group of kids. "...Any questions?" He asked.

The classroom was silent. Each student's mouth open.

"Now before we get into anything really complicated here…first thing's first. What is the first thing every shinobi must know before they can hoist an official headband on their head?"

A whole plethora of students raised their hands. This didn't faze the young academy teacher one bit. Konohamaru chose a fat kid, who was eagerly holding up his arm in the second row. "Yes You?"

He didn't have his question ready, and rubbed his chin "Ummmm…" He started. "How to shoot a Kamehameha jutsu at the bad guys!?" He shouted, with fire in his eyes.

Konohamaru's eyes almost rolled out of their sockets. "No...that's not even remotely correct pork chop...who's Next?"

Another hand. "Yes? You with the green hair?"

"How to make hand seals?"

"Close…but no. Next?"

"How to throw a kunai knife."

"Ehh...wrong."

"How to kill someone."

"No! All good answers, ehh…well not really, but they are all wrong." Konohamaru said, already getting a migraine. "The first thing every shinobi must learn is their Nindo…or their Ninja Way."

The students listened up.

"What do you care about and what do you want to protect?" He said. "You cannot receive your headband if you don't have anything you truly want to keep safe. Every shinobi carries their own Nindo. Through that, the Will of Fire is established, and therefore can be passed on. Every single one of you could be the best fighters or medics or spy that the world has ever seen, but with no purpose for doing so; you are worthless. "

Ryoji sat eyes wide open. _"..My Nindo..?"_

"I'm sure it's probably a hard concept for your puny little brains to understand at this point...but it'll all make sense to you some day...Now…" Konohamaru said. "Pull out your textbooks to a blank piece of paper, the first Unit of this school year is on Ninja Laws..."

Across the room came groins and sighs as each student unzipped their backpacks.

_**~And with the arrival of the new school year, the young children of the leaf village start their journey to discover what truly is their Nindo~**_


	3. Chapter 2: Gennin!

**Chapter 2: Gennin!**

**Chapter Illustration:** **Ryoji, Kiyo, Takane, and Wataru play basketball on a dirt floor covered in tall grass. Ryoji dribbles the basketball with a cocky smirk looking down on Takane, who is guarding him with widely spread legs and arms. Ryoji wears an oversized Michael Jordan jersey. Kiyo tries to get open for a pass waving his arms, while Wataru guards him determinedly. The hoop is made out of old pipes lodged into the ground, with an old copper wire rim and tattered rags for a net.**

* * *

><p><strong>~Four Years Later, Konohagakure~<strong>

It was a Saturday morning, the only day when kids like Ryoji could sleep in from the wee hours of the morning to the late afternoon. A day when they didn't have to worry about the impending threat of hollering Grandmothers, exploding alarm clocks, wise-cracking academy teachers, or pop quizzes. Egao, Ryoji's elderly grandmother, sat on a small chair, at a small table, in her small room, engaged in the small pages of a novel.

The _"Icha Icha" _series had some of her favorite novels in it. They were not only filled with mystery and adventure, but had some spicy scenes of romance as well, which she loved. These stories reminded her of her younger days, when every young academy girl had a crush on an older shinobi and would do anything to catch his attention. As a young kunoichi in her heyday, she had always dreamt of one day being saved by her own heartthrob Ninja. The old woman kicked her legs out, _"...Ah…there's nothing better than Icha Icha on a beautiful morning...this Jiraiya was a hoot." _She thought with a mischievous chuckle.

A tapping came from her windowsill not to long after she had put the book down. Upon looking up at it, she saw a grey Uzura Quail peering at her from the outside. It was covered in small green robes, it was a messenger bird. The Quail was the animal companion to members of the Uzura clan, which served as Konoha's mail service. A bird in green robes could act as if to say "you got mail."

The bird's loose neck made its small head twitch from left to right, and its long antenna-like feather on its head stood erect. Inside its mouth was a slip of white paper.

Egao opened the window, and took the paper from the Quail's outstretched beak. "Could it be..?" She asked herself, her eyes wide open as she took her first glance at it. The bird tweeted, and flew away. Egao examined at the unfolded slip extensively, which read _"Kosumosu Ryoji"_ written in cursive. In the top right corner was an official Konohagakure stamp, the leaf village symbol. She couldn't help but break a slight sweat from her anxiety. After all, the Kosumosu's had been waiting weeks for this news.

* * *

><p>"Wahooooooooooooo!"<p>

Ryoji threw his hands in the air with joy. Egao clapped for him, just as excited as he was. The unfolded envelope read _"Kosumosu Ryoji, Ninja Academy Official Exam" _at the top. A few inches below long paragraphs of text, was one word written in bold, red letters... _"PASSED."_

"I knew you could do it Ootoku." Egao said, hoping up and down clapping her hands.

"Of course I could!" Ryoji fired back, with a new-found sense of optimism in his eyes. "I told you I was gonna be Hokage didn't I Grandma?!"

The Old Woman smiled at him. "Yes...you did indeed."

"Ceremony is in two days, and tomorrow all graduates have a meeting to attend at the ninja academy..."

The old woman smiled at him. She could see her grandson's mood rise up from what it had been since he first took the test weeks back. Ryoji had been a nervous wreck since the beginning of the month. The ninja academy exam had been extremely grueling for him, as he had a hard time studying for it. He knew he and his friends had slacked for ninety percent of their time at the academy, but unlike the rest of those boys who were talented shinobi in their own right, Ryoji actually needed to study if he wanted a passing grade. He knew guys like Kiyo, who had always been a naturally smart kid, would pass effortlessly off of pure talent. Ryoji envied that about him.

"I can't wait! I gotta take my picture, pose in my headband, and show all the girls…" The boy told himself as he could hardly attain his excitement.

"…And you can also look forward to becoming a shinobi…" Said Egao, waving her scrawny old fingers at him.

"Yea, yea that too...but there are more things you can do with a headband grandma." Ryoji said, eyes fixed on his marveling achievement. "I'm a young stud now. What girl doesn't want a big strong ninja like myself?"

"I see. Congratulations." Egao responded, still happy for him. _"These Hokage dreams of yours..."_

The old woman looked at her grandson who was bouncing from every corner of the kitchen in pure ecstasy. She could almost shed a tear, _"Your mother and father would be proud of you...Ootaku."_

* * *

><p><strong>~Later that Day, Konohagakure~<strong>

"We look so sweet!" Ryoji shouted.

Four boys were huddled in a circle in the courtyard of the ninja academy, each with their new Konohagakure Shinobi Identification Cards in their hands. Kiyo, a brown haired boy with spiked up hair, and another boy with an Arabian-style hat, with robes that hung downward which kept the back of his neck and face cool.

"Why's my face like that?" Asked the boy with his hair spiked up, making a disgusted face at his ID card.

"Your face is always like that, Wataru." Responded Kiyo with a short laugh.

Wataru made a slight frown; his id card had that same exact frown. He wore a brown one-piece suit under a green jacket.

The other boy, with the brown Arabic hat on his head chuckled, "You guys think I should take this thing off for good? My picture looks sweet without it." He said looking at his card against sunlight. His eyes were fixed on his regular black spiky hair in the photo. No one else ever saw him like that because of his hat being on his head twenty-four, seven.

Ryoji rolled his eyes, "Of course you should! It's weird, and it's almost summer time; doesn't that thing make you hot, Takane?"

"It actually does the opposite..." Said Takane, under his breath.

"Sheesh, I always thought that thing was such an ugly accessory." Wataru commeneted.

"Yeah, no offense but you kinda look like a turtle with it on." Added Kiyo.

Takane pouted, "Hey guys, it's not make fun of Takane day today is it?" He asked, bowing his head slightly.

"Awh shucks Takane. We're just messing with ya`!" Ryoji said, before the three boys let out a group of hearty laughed. The hat-wearing boy made a smirk and shook his head.

Picture day had gone great; all of the 25 graduates of the Ninja academy had gone one by one to the Hokage Tower to smile in front of a camera. Each was given a badge, to show that they had passed their Ninja Academy Final Exam. In one day, each one would hold the title of "Gennin", and become an officially licensed shinobi. Ryoji, Kiyo, Takane, and Wataru were all passed through. The courtyard was covered in students all proud of themselves and optimistic for their futures as well, each awaiting graduation festivities.

As the boys conversed in joy, a loud grunt came from behind them.

"Well, well!" It shouted in an arrogant, scratchy voice. "Looky, looky Akamato! What a surprise…"

The bunch turned around slowly, the shadows of two big figures cast over them.

Two boys stood side by side. One of them being maybe about a year or so older, approached them, with folded arms, and a large smile across his face. The boy wore a grey hoodie with furs on the hood, some black pants, and closed-toed shoes. He had two blue fang- like marks on both cheeks and had yellow, canine-like eyes. Sharp claws stuck out from his fingertips. His breath was hot, and reeked of an old rotten beef-cut and could be smelled from a considerable distance away. On top of his head, a white puppy dog sat, looking as if it was smirking at the boys as well. He was the town bully, Kouki Inuzuka.

The four boys' demeanor changed almost immediately from a composed, happy one to an intense one. "...What the fuck do you want Kouki?" Ryoji said, face turning a reddish color. The maroon-haired boy balled up his fists and let out a subtle growl under his breath. Kiyo turned his head; he noticed his friend's building anger right away.

"Eh, well you know me..." Kouki said, shrugging his shoulders with a cocky smile on his face. "I'm a pretty curious dude…Just wanted to see how you pussycats managed to actually pass the shinobi exam…after all, it _is_ for future shinobi ya' know?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Kouki?" Wataru asked, with a straight face and furrowed eyebrows.

"We are future shinobi!" Ryoji shouted.

"I just didn't know there were ninjas around with absolutely no talent. Maybe they just decided to pity-pass you." The Inuzuka said. "…It's not hard to feel sorry for a bunch of losers, especially if you're an old coot like the Konohamaru-Sensei."

The other big kid was large in size, and had a round chubby face. His hair was an orangey-brown color, and was tied up in a bun. He chuckled a bit at Kouki's comment, and forced down a handful of potato chips from the bag he held. "Good one, Kouki." He said in a muffled voice, mouth full. He had blue swirls under his cheeks, and wore a green overcoat over some brown jumpsuit. He wore a blue scarf which matched his face paint.

"Heh heh." The Inuzuka clansmen chuckled wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "I hope I don't end up on a team with anyone of you talent-less bums, or else we'll all die." He began to turn around and walk away with his chubby friend. Ryoji could feel the anger burning up inside of him and he squeezed his fingers so far into his fist that it almost began to hurt. _"_...You...Bastard...!_" _

"Oh..." Kouki said, turning around. "Is someone a little ma-"

"_Whaaa-pap!"_

The sound pierced the air almost like a sonic boom. The whole courtyard full of kids turned to their attention to the center, eyes widened by shock. Kiyo, Takane, Wataru, and the Akimichi boy all dropped their jaws at the sight off it. Ryoji's follow-through was the closest thing to perfect that anyone had ever seen. Kouki's face was whipped to the side, and his body followed. He flew suspended in mid-air, eyes clinched and right cheek lifted out of its normal position. Ryoji's knuckles stung due to the impact of the hit. His eyes were red like fire.

Kouki hit the ground hard, scraping his shirt and wrists on the gravel. Akamato landed on it's four legs, and went to aid him. He rose up slowly, but didn't stand. He held his cheek with his butt planted on the hard ground, stupefied. Ryoji stood above him, breathing quite heavily, but with the same look of fire burning in his eyes. He looked right into Kouki's eyes. "…Don't you dare underestimate me…It'll be the last thing you do!"

The Inuzuka boy clansmen's face turned red. His nose flared and the small hairs on his arm spiked up. Akamato slowly backed away from him whimpering. "Why you…" He said, with a growl. "F…fuck you Ryoji! I'll show you what an ass-whipping is! Chomasu, let's get this asshole!" He shouted at the top off his lungs in a blind rage.

His partner almost coughed up his chips. "Ummm...Kouki...uh are you sure it's the right thing to do?!" He asked nervously, dropping the bag of snacks on the ground. Kouki growled even deeper this time. "If you don't help me I'm gonna fuck you up too later!" He shouted, fiercely pointing at Ryoji. Chomasu's sweat dripped and he took a hard gulp. He now stood next to Kouki and faced the maroon-haired boy.

Ryoji smirked, "Finally…I've been waiting for this match-up Dog-breath…I'll get both of ya." he said, competitive blood running through his veins. He was hungry for a good fight, especially with the guy who he'd scuffled with on many occasions in the past.

"It's fucking over for you, you piece of shit…" Kouki responded under his breath, readying his fists.

Takane jumped in front of Ryoji, splitting the difference in space evenly between the bullies and his friend. "Stop this right now! This isn't a good idea at all." He shouted. "You guys won't graduate if you get in trouble now!"

Kouki and Chosamu dashed past the spiky haired boy straight for Ryoji. "Hmph screw it! I'm not too worried about that at this point!" The dog boy yelled. The two closed the distance between them and Ryoji, sandwiching him between two flying fists. The other new gennin watched in disbelief at what they were seeing.

Suddenly, two hands clasped both of the attackers' fists. Out of a puff of smoke, Kiyo and Wataru appeared on both sides of Ryoji. Kiyo held off Kouki's fist, while Wataru did the same to Chosamu 's. Ryoji raised his eyebrows, stunned. The bullies were just as shocked that they were able to reach them that fast. "…If you're gonna double-team him…" said Wataru.

"…You're gonna have to go through us first...!" Kiyo finished. "We outnumber you punks by two…your other lackeys didn't graduate, remember that one Kouki?" He said, pushing the fist away from him. "Things are going to change around here…we aren't eight year olds anymore. You can't bully us. "

Kouki was speechless. He couldn't usher any words.

"…We may not be the most powerful individually. But together, we're light years past the point you're at." Added Wataru, with a stern and determined face on. "If I were you, I'd back off..."

Kouki growled and gave the crew one last glare. He scoffed at their remarks and said, "…Watch you'll see. Next time you punks won't be so damn lucky. Especially you, Kosumosu..!" The dog boy turned his back to them. "Akamato…Chomasu….let's get outta here." The three of them walked away.

"Hmph…" Wataru said with a long sigh, and a drop of sweat rolling down his face. "That was annoying…"

Ryoji folded his arms. "I could've whooped those assholes all by myself you know."

Kiyo and Takane turned to him, slightly pissed off. "Yea, I guess you could've." The Hyuga boy said sarcastically. "But you'd also get your ass whooped by Konohamaru-Sensei, and wouldn't make it to graduation tomorrow. Do you want that too?"

Ryoji turned away; he knew his friends had his back that moment.

Wataru gave out a sunny smile to his friend, and put his hand on his shoulder. "Look. Whatever happens bro, we got your back. Those punks had nothing on us!"

Ryoji looked back at the three boys smiling at him and he nodded in submission.

* * *

><p><strong>~One Day Later, Ninja Academy, Konohagakure~<strong>

"Listen up!" Shouted Konohamaru, once again standing at the center of the room. His chalkboard read, _"Congratulations Gennin" _in big white chalk. The classroom consisted of the newly graduated kids, each wearing a brand new shinobi headband on his or her head. Ryoji, Kiyo, Takane, and Wataru all sat beside each other, and each of them was looking frantically around the classroom.

They saw girls.

This was a completely new experience for them, as aspiring Kunoichi had to take a separate class in the academy the last four years. Some of these girls were known by the boys from the playground or around Konoha, however most of them Ryoji had never seen before.

"First of all, I'd like to congratulate you all on passing the exams, and earning your status as official shinobi. It's been a great four years serving as your teacher. I'm proud to call you my former students." Konohamaru said clapping.

A round of applause ensued from each of the students.

"...However, my last announcement to you is very important, so listen to me one last time."

The clapping stopped and the students listened closely.

"As you know, for a shinobi to complete any mission as quickly and efficiently as possible, he must rely on the help of his fellow teammates. That's why you will be split up into Squads of four, including a Jonin squad leader."

Kiyo raised an eyebrow, "…Konohamaru-Sensei, squads of four? Isn't it supposed to be three-man cells?" He asked.

"Good question Mr. Hyuga. That was originally the case in the past. However now after the war, the Hokage has changed that rule to ensure as much success as possible on these missions, especially the E, D, and C ranked ones. Man-Power is key." Answered Konohamaru, "Now without further adieu…I will announce your Cell groups, you will meet your Jonin leader tomorrow in the following classrooms…"

Ryoji and his friends quickly held their breaths. Their futures were staring them right in their young faces.

**~Four-man cells, Jouin masters, and a brand new Shinobi career for the young Gennin. What does this new lifestyle have in store for them? ~**


	4. Chapter 3: The Graduates

**Chapter 3: The Graduates **

**Chapter Illustration:**** Ryoji sleeps under a shady tree, with his headband covering his eyes. Next to him, his Shinobi ID card lays in the grass.**

* * *

><p>Konohamaru smacked his forehead. "Awh shit!" He proclaimed.<p>

"…I almost forgot about the damn attendance." The academy teacher grabbed his clipboard and flipped a few pages. He cleared his throat, "…You know the deal." He took a quick look at the paper, "Wataru?"

Wataru sat back in his chair preoccupied with his daily daydreaming. Takane, who sat right next to him, politely nudged him with his elbow. This made the lazy new gennin look at him questioningly as if to ask, "What do you want?"

Konohamaru rolled his eyes. "For god sakes Wataru, it's been four years and you still can't stop daydreaming huh?"

"I'm present…" The brown haired boy replied with a shrug.

The academy teacher turned back to the attendance sheet. "Next…Aburame Shizu."

A soft voice came from the corner of the classroom, "…Present…" it whispered. A girl with dark foggy shades slouched over on the desk, flicking at a glass with her middle finger. She wore a heavy steel grey overcoat, with black pants underneath. Ryoji cringed at the sight of a large black spider, from within the glass.

_"What the…?" _He thought, as shivers ran down his back.

Konohamaru seemed slightly disturbed as well, sweat dropping from his forehead. "Uhh…well next name…" he said.

Ryoji turned his head slowly towards Kiyo, "…Did you see that fat ass spider..?" He asked, "It's making my stomach turn."

Kiyo looked up at her, and turned back to Ryoji. "Well…she does have Aburame as her last name. Although, I've never heard of one using a spider before, that's pretty neat actually." The Hyuga replied with a smile. Ryoji made a disgusted face.

"…_neat?" _

"Akimichi Chosamu." Konohamaru announced looking around the room, "…You shouldn't be too hard to find."

Chosamu sat next to Kouki all the way in the back row of the classroom. "Hah, hah…very funny Konohamaru-sensei…here I am!" He said between bites of a sandwich. Ryoji was surprised he could even fit in the desk with how big his stomach was. Chosamu sucked his fingers, and turned to Kouki. "Hey Kou…am I really that fat? I thought I was getting a little slimmer." Kouki ignored him.

After a few other names, Konohamaru reached another. "Gekko Hideharu?"

"Present sir!" shouted a voice from above Ryoji's crew. A boy with modest, brown hair had stuck his hand high into the air as he stood up from his chair, body as straight as possible. His face was straight and alert, and his eyes were wide open. The back of his long brown hair was tied in a pony-tail. The boy wore a steel breastplate, and forearm protectors made from the same material. Underneath them however, was an ivy green jumpsuit. His boots were a solid black. As Kiyo looked this guy up and down, he noticed a brown sheath and a black handle sticking out of it.

"…_A swordsman huh? That's quite odd…I've never seen him before." _He thought._ "What would a guy like that be doing in Konoha…?"_

"Haruno Kazumi?" Konohamaru called.

A loud thump came from the far side of the class room. To the class's surprise, and girl with bright pink hair, wearing a dark green spandex suit which stopped right about her naval, and some dark green leggings of the same color stood on top of a desk with her hands high in the air. Her squished eyelids covered a pair of enchanting green eyes. "Konohamaru-sensei, the beautiful burning devil is present for duty! My flowers of youth can finally sprout! Wahooooooooo!" She shouted.

Konohamaru's sweat dropped as he let out an uncomfortable half-smile. _"It's like she never quits…how long have her flowers been 'sprouting' anyway?" _He shook his head and kicked her craziness out of his mind. "Sit down Kazumi...moving along…Hatake Sachio." He called out.

There was no answer.

Konohamaru looked around the classroom, "Hatake Sachio!"

Still no answer.

"_Well isn't that a shocker…"_He thought to himself, rolling his eyes."…Last call for Hatake Sachio...no? Ok then."

The students looked amongst themselves, no sign of the son of such a legendary shinobi. Everyone knew of the Hatake name. Legend has it that Sachio's father was able to copy and master every single kind of Ninjutsu on the planet. Hatake Kakashi had also been a part of some of the greatest factions of ninja to every come from Konohagakure such as the ANBU. He was mentored by the fourth Hokage himself, and was the leader of the "Divine Team 7 of Konoha." He was a literal living piece of history in the hidden leaf.

Just as Konohamaru was about to mark the boy absent, the door slowly pushed open. Everyone's attention turned to it as a silver haired boy slugged in. He wore a full body, tight, grey shirt with a long sleeve on one side and a ripped off sleeve on the other. He was also wearing gloves on his hands, and carried a long pouch, slung on his back. His pants were baggy and military green, and on his feet were grey sandals.

"I'm here…" Said the sleepy boy, who followed his sentence with a loud yawn.

"I'm guessing that you forgot what day it was again, Sachio..?" Konohamaru asked quite irritated.

Sachio nodded in response.

"…Why are you really late?" He finally asked.

"Umm… well..." He said looking at his hands. "...First I woke up late, then I tripped and fell down my staircase at home and my mother yelled at me. Then she made me clean my room, and on the way over here I got lost in my thoughts, so…" The grey haired boy answered shrugging. "You can say I had a rough morning..."

The kids in their seats looked at the boy in both wonder and hostility, _"What the fuck..?"_ Ryoji thought, scratching his head.

"_Lost in his thoughts?"_ Kiyo thought.

"That's no excuse kid… a shinobi must be prompt and on time for every occasion. I should send you back to the academy next september. How would your father feel about you not taking this important day seriously?" Konohamaru said in wonder.

Sachio looked him in the face. His face was emotionless, and it almost looked as if he didn't hear what his instructor told him. "What did you say sir?" He asked, mouth open, mind blank.

_"D...Did he just...ignore me..?" _Thought Konohamaru with the most flabbergasted face, eyebrow twitching. "Just go take a sit Mr. Hatake." Konohamaru followed, shaking his head. "Your father will be notified about this."

"Not cool man…" Sachio muttered walking to a vacant desk.

"Whatever…Hyuga Kiyo."

"Present sir!" Kiyo answered, raising his hand.

Konohamaru nodded, "Finally. Someone who's not willing to make a complete fool out o himself tsk tsk. Anyway…Inuzuka Kouki."

Kouki responded with a lift of his leg, the kids around him turned their heads to him in question. Then all of a sudden a loud raspberry-like sound emitted from his behind. It was stinky and wet. The students around him started to cough and scoot away from him as the smell slapped all of them in their faces.

"Jeez man!"

"Ew disgusting!"

"What the heck was that?"

The Inuzuka kid laughed loudly as the stink filled the classroom. "Hahahaha! Present! My ass is too as you can see!" He said still laughing. Konohamaru was not amused or fazed by the smell. He closed his eyes and shook his head, "Looks like I spoke to soon! You earned yourself a first-class ticket to a last day of school detention Kouki. Clap for yourself." He said, hand covering his face. _"Ugh, what an ass…"_ He thought soon after.

Kouki laughed like a barbarian, and started to howl like an old wolf would. Making the class even more irritated.

"Hey ass sniffer!" Ryoji shouted standing out of his desk. "How about you shut the fuck up!? We're tryna listen for our names alright!"

Kouki stood out of his desk as well. With a slam of two palms simultaneously smacking on the top of his desk, the dog boy growled at him. "Why don't you come up here and make me, you little red-haired shit!?"

"Hey, hey calm down you too." Konohamaru said, "…Kaigoshi Chiyoko."

"Here." A short, mahogany-haired girl said, sitting directly in front of Konohamaru. She wore a brown shirt and pants. A huge smile stretched from one side of her face to the other, and Konohamaru loved that.

"Oh that's right…you're always here on time." He said with a smirk. "Keisan Aiko?"

"I'm here…Konohamaru-sensei…" A boy said, sitting right next to Chiyoko. He had spiked up blue hair, with one long bang in his face. He wore some thin glasses, which seemed to slide down his nose before he would push them back up again. He wore a grey jacket, over some black pants.

Wataru nudged Takane, "Yo Takane, I heard that Aiko's the one who scored the highest Intelligence score of the exam…A perfect 5." He whispered, hand covering his mouth.

Takane's eyes widened. "A perfect five?" He almost shouted. "Isn't that impossible?"

The brown haired boy shook his head. "Nope…because apparently he's not the only one. I have no idea who the other dude could be."

Konohamaru cleared his throat. "Kosumosu Ryoji. Kouki's little boyfriend."

Ryoji growled, "Hey! Don't say that!" He and Kouki shouted at the same time.

Konohamaru chuckled a bit, and turned back to his attendance sheet, "Mamoru Takane." Takane waved to him.

He nodded and shouted, "Suzushi Yukikisu."

"Umm…Here." A shy and quiet voice sounded from the first row. A girl raised her hand very slowly and only a little bit high. She wasn't even making eye contact with her former teacher. Yukikisu had short blue hair and reminded Kiyo of his aunt Hinata, she seemed very nervous. She wore a long sleeve black shirt which extended over past her actual hands. She wore long black pants with a silver and blue kimono wrapped around her waist. On her head she wore earmuffs, which rested over her ears.

"What's up with the earmuffs, it can't be that cold in here…" Ryoji whispered to Kiyo who replied with a shrug.

Konohamaru could always sense Yukikisu's tenseness and gave her a warm smile. "Next, Honorable son…Uchiha Osamu?"

"Present." A raspy voice responded, coming from the desk slightly near the window sill. He sat with his fingers clasped tightly, eyes fixed on whatever was outside of the classroom. He was the son of the Hokage. His raven-blue hair was wrapped in a ponytail, as it could easily reach the boy's lower back if he untied it. He wore a blue shirt, with grey shorts, and a pair of black sandals. He seemed uninterested as ever in the class or the students and propped his head on his left hand that was on the desk in a bored stance.

Konohamaru took a sigh, "Uzura Mai."

"Here, sensei." A soft voice came from the front row again. She had golden brown hair that hung down to her back. Her eyes were a bright brown, and her one-piece suit was brilliantly covered in both maroon and gold silk. Ryoji, looking to the side noticed that she carried a large horizontal bag, with an archery bow. Her looks were absolutely captivating for the Kosumosu boy. He froze after she tossed her long, angelic hair from side to side. _"Whoa..." _He thought.

"Last but not least, Yamanaka Hanae."

A blonde flipped her hair back, "Here…gosh it's about time sensei. You should know not to make a beautiful person wait. That's such an ugly habit you have." She said, as she whipped out a pocket mirror. Hanae, the daughter of Ino, watched her face in the mirror, fixing every little invisible issue with her face.

Konohamaru rolled his eyes, "Or maybe because your last name starts with a letter 'Y' Ms. Yamanaka."

"Hmph, whatever." She mumbled, focusing on her face in the small glass mirror.

Konohamaru exhaled, "Welp, thank goodness that raps that up. Now I can go over squads…I forgot to include earlier that we tried to match you up as well as possible in order to make the teams balanced." He said. "…As I said before, each of you will be divided into teams of four…along with your Jonin Leader."

All the students listened attentively, curious as to where they'd be put and who their teammates would be.

* * *

><p>"Squad number one; Takane Mamoru, Kiyo Hyuga, Ryoji Kosumosu…"<p>

The three best friends jumped out of their seats with joy, high-fiving each other in excitement. "Hah! Looks like Konohamaru-sensei isn't an old bat after all!" Ryoji shouted, celebrating with his friends. "Yeah! No one's breaking this bond!" Takane shouted. Kiyo smiled from ear to ear.

Konohamaru, slightly pissed off by Ryoji's statement, chose to ignore it, "…and Mai Uzura."

Ryoji refrained from his celebration for one split second, and looked downward at the Kunoichi, who hadn't even turned around to look yet. As she twisted her neck, her shining angelic hair swayed aside, revealing her gorgeous amber eyes. Ryoji swallowed some spit and blinked nervously. The girl squinted at him is a disgusted manner, and quickly turned around. The maroon-head turned away quickly as well.

After a while, Konohamaru called, "Squad three; Kazumi Haruno, Aburame Shizu, Akio Keisan, and Sachio Hatake."

The pink haired girl frowned, and looked at all three of her teammates scattered across the room. Shizu paid no mind to the announcement, and continued to play with her pet's glass chamber. Sachio lay in a deep sleep on his desk. Akio stared back at her from the front row, cheeks rosy pink, and constantly readjusting his glasses. _"Oh gosh…" _She thought, _"Why'd I have to get the freak, the bum, and the nerd in my group...? That's such a mood killer." _

"_Finally I can profess my love to Kazumi Haruno…this can't be happening. I hope I don't blow this one." _Akio thought, a snot bubble forming under his nose.

"Squad Four; Hanae Yamanaka, Chosamu Akimichi, Chiyoko Kaigoshi, and Wataru."

Wataru's head dropped, "Ugh. Anything but Hanae and Chosamu…this won't be fun at all." Takane could only look at him in slight sorrow, understanding the disappointment he felt. _"Sheesh...Hanae and Chosamu the bully. Poor Wataru."_

Hanae scrunched her face, rolled her eyes, and finished the combo off with a hair flip. _"All ugly people I see…maybe they can do the missions for me. Uglies can afford to get dirty." _She looked over her nails, and cringed at the sight of Chosamu, who was too busy eating snacks to notice his name was called.

Chiyoko gulped down hard, and looked back up at Hanae, who was blowing on her nails. Something about her was just so intimidating. Sweat dropped down her forehead, and she wiped it off with her arm.

A few minutes later, Konohamaru was finally done with his listings. "Squad six; Hideharu Gekko, Yukikisu Suzushi, Kouki Inuzuka, and Osamu Uchiha."

Kouki smirked a bit after looking from Hideharu in one corner to Osamu at the windowsill, "Oh yeah...This should be loads of fun…"

Yukikisu looked uncomfortable. She surely wasn't too happy about sharing a group with a guy that farts as loud as Kouki. The armor on Hideharu also frightened her a little bit. The blue-haired Kunoichi stared at both of them from afar, not uttering a single word.

Osamu was as motionless as a statue. He didn't react one bit to hearing his teammates, and continued to stare out of the window. The only word he ushered out was a silent "Hmph!" from under his breath.

Konohamaru finally set the clipboard down. He leaned against his desk and took an exhale. He folded his arms, and smiled at his former students. "…Now that's that. We're all done. Tomorrow you and your squad members will report to the assigned classroom to have a meeting with your Jonin instructors. Don't be late! Kouki, Sachio stay after class..!"

"Yes sir!" The class replied in unison.

The young academy teacher looked among the anxious and promising graduating class for the last time (_**A/N:** _except for the two delinquents however lololol!). He gave an approving smirk. _"...They'll be a splendid group...ya' outdid yourself Konohamaru." _

**~The Partnerships have been revealed! What will manifest from these newly crafted bonds?~**


	5. Chapter 4: Toothpick Sensei?

**Chapter 4:**** Toothpick Sensai?****  
><strong>

**Chapter Illustration: ****Egao waters plants in her garden happily, while Ryoji, Kiyo, Takane, and Wataru struggle to plant a new one. Ryoji and Takane are covered from head to toe in dirt, Kiyo scratching his head, and Wataru reads instructions that are upside down.**

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><p><strong>~The Next Day, Ninja Academy Classroom #300, Konohagakure~<strong>

"Where is this dude!?" Ryoji shouted, kicking over a rather large desk in anger. "It's been two hours! What the hell does he think this is!?" Fumes emitted from his ears, and his teeth clenched together as he kept his hands tight.

The clock in the corner of the empty classroom read "9:03"; Kiyo took a glance at his note. It read, _"Classroom #300, 7:00 sharp." _The Hyuga took a deep sigh and reclined in his chair. His mother and aunt had always taught him that patience is a virtue, so he decided not to respond to Ryoji's onslaught.

Takane, head in his folded arms, didn't even look up to see the damage to the poor desk. "Just calm down Ryo…" he said, voice muffled under his arms, "…he'll be here any second now."

The girl, who was almost like an intruder to the three best friend's shenanigans, said nothing. She sat with her arms crossed, looking almost irritated.

"You said that two hours ago, Takane! And you said it again one hour ago!" Ryoji snapped back. "If this asshole doesn't come in five minutes, I'm leaving!" He shouted, pouting. He sat in a non-decimated chair with his arms folded.

Five minutes passed and Ryoji hoped out of the seat.

Kiyo spotted him, "Ryoji just relax ma-"

"Nope! I said I was waiting five more minutes, I'm done with this waiting!" He headed towards the exit.

Suddenly, the door busted opened right in front of him. From behind the door, a voice echoed, "…and if you leave now…". A hand came and pushed the door open. A man about six-foot tall entered the room. He had slick brown hair which lowered down to his shoulders on both sides and calm brown eyes. He wore a typical Jonin outfit, and wore his headband on the end of a navy blue bandana, which covered his head. A long brown toothpick was flicking up and down in his mouth.

"…You might as well have Konohamaru sign you up for four more years as an academy student." He said, a small smirk appearing on his face.

Ryoji's sweat dropped from his forehead, he gulped quickly. Takane rose out of his arms, and looked up at the man. Kiyo and Mai turned their attention to him as well. He propped himself in the front desk overlooking the nearly empty classroom, making himself the center of attention. He took a second to look over the four new gennin. He then smiled at them, removing the toothpick from his mouth. The man twirled it in his fingers, "…I'm assuming you guys are Squad One?"

Mai rose up out of her seat quickly. "Yes, sir." She said, stepping up to the bandanna-wearing Jonin eagerly. "…My name is Mai Uzura. I'm honored and excited to be your pupil." She reached her arm out for a handshake.

The Jonin looked at her outstretched arm and back at her. He stuck his toothpick back into his mouth, "Eh…How disappointing." He said coldly of the group, ignoring the gesture completely and shrugging.

Mai's mouth dropped slightly, _"Oh...How dare he..?" _She thought, completely insulted. However, she opted to bow, and backed away from him.

Takane, Ryoji, and Kiyo were shocked. _"...That was so rude." _Takane said to himself as sweat dropped from his forehead.

"Not another Konohamaru-sensei." Ryoji said quietly, face-palming himself.

"…I want to get all this first-day nonsense over with as fast as possible. So, if you brats would come with me, I can get you all out of here and home with your mommies in the next half hour." The man said sticking up his thumb at the group with a smug grin.

Ryoji rolled his eyes, "…But you had no problem keeping us waiting for two hours huh..?" He muttered under his breath, folding his arms.

The man turned towards him, "Hey, hey, hey. No need to be a smart ass about these things…You must be Ryoji."

Ryoji frowned at him as a response.

After a quick chuckle, and uttering the words "Come on." He disappeared into smoke.

* * *

><p><strong>~Elsewhere in Konoha~<strong>

The four of them sat out on a very high ledge which overlooked all of Konohagakure. The day was bright and sunny, and in itself, felt like the embodiment of a new beginning for everyone. Ryoji, Kiyo, Takane, and Mai each sat on a pair of steps leading onto another platform. The Jonin leaned against a ledge and looked over them.

"It's tradition that we start off with names." The man said, "You see, I had originally decided that you weren't worth the effort of introducing myself. But luckily for you kids, I've had a slight change of heart."

The students all cringed at the statement, but each wisely decided to ignore it.

"_This guy's a real ass…" _Thought Kiyo, sweat dripping.

"My Name is Genma Shiranui." He announced. "I've been a leaf ninja all my life, and I learned from the fourth himself." The man proclaimed proudly. "I don't really care to inform you guys on anything else about me...because unlike you four, I've proved myself to my village. Now, tell me a little bit about yourselves. Anything like goals, likes, dislikes, dreams…I don't know, be creative. This is your moment in the limelight."

Sarcasm underlined damn near everything he said.

The four looked amongst each other, wondering who would be the first one to start. "Oh! I know…" Genma interrupted, "How about you wise-ass?" He pointed his toothpick to Ryoji, who was staring dead at him with a pair mean eyes. "I've heard about ya'. You seem the most interesting to me."

Ryoji took a deep sigh, "Ummm…" He scratched his head little bit, "…The name's Kosumosu Ryoji! I like kicking ass and getting stronger every day. I run alot and play sports too. So far I really dislike you!" He shouted with a growl. "…But one day, I wanna be, well, I'm gonna be Hokage one day and I'll get there no matter what it takes!"

Genma raised an eyebrow. _"Spunk…" _ He thought, with a slight smirk. _"…This kids gonna be a riot." _He smoke aloud now. "Hokage eh? That's quite a stretch. Frankly, I don't think a runt like you could pull it off."

Ryoji stood up. "Hell Yeah I can! Don't underestimate me toothpick-sensei!"

Genma's eyes widened. "Toothpick-sensei?" The other shinobi watched him slightly awed by his courage.

"Just you watch me do it too!" Ryoji shouted, pointing his finger dead at his new teacher.

Genma looked him up and down one time, and he nodded at Takane who sat next to him.

"Well ummm…" Takane answered, as sweat began to perspire on his forehead under his hat. He took it off forcefully, "I'm Mamoru Takane; I like to read, build stuff, and hang out with my friends. Umm, I don't really dislike many things. But one day, I think I wanna be the best shinobi I can be and protect the whole village maybe..."

"_Hmm…I feel some insecurity here." _Genma smiled, "Good goals there kid. I'm sure you'll reach them. You next."

Kiyo straightened his posture comfortably, and put on a noble and stern face. "I am Hyuga Kiyo. I hail from the Hyuga clan. I like my family, my village, and my weapons collections. I dislike those who hurt others. And one day, I hope to…well…surpass someone really special to me..." Kiyo stopped. It seemed like he had his whole speech planed out from square one, however, at this moment he froze.

The Hyuga boy stared at Genma, frozen in nervous-ness. Ryoji, Takane, and Mai looked up at him in confusion. Genma crossed his arms and observed the boy. "Someone like who?" He asked. Kiyo's mouth slightly dropped open, his body went numb and soon all he could feel was his legs becoming weaker and weaker. No matter how hard he tried to utter out another word, he could not.

"You ok, kid?" Asked the Jonin, turning his head slightly to the side. "…You don't gotta finish the question if you don't want to ok?"

Kiyo could do nothing but frantically nod his head. He sat down as fast as he could a took a deep breath. That instant, his anxiety calmed down. Genma scratched his chin, _"I didn't think Neji Hyuga's son was gonna be in this group either...This should be an intriguing job." _

"Lastly you, Kunoichi. Your name was what… Bulma or something, right?" Genma asked turning his attention to Mai.

Mai twitched a little. _"Ugh! What a pig!" _Her inner self shouted, growling inside the walls of her sub-conscious. "No sir…" She said out loud slightly irritated. She dusted off her clothes and stood up. "My name is Mai Uzura, hailing from the mighty Uzura clan…"

Ryoji nudged Takane, "Mighty..? I wouldn't call a bunch of Bird watchers 'mighty'!" He said to him giggling. The boy both snickered underneath their breaths, unaware that a fuming Mai stood right behind them. She clocked both boys right over the heads simultaneously with a hard double-slap.

"Owwww"

"Ouch!"

"One thing I hate for starters is when people talk shit about my clan!" She said, still referring to Genma's question. "I'll have you two douchebags know that my clan has been one of the most successful in our village's history! You're not going to disrespect us!" The boys had two swollen lumps on their heads, and writhed in pain.

Genma chuckled.

"…Well anyways, I plan on becoming one of the greatest Kunoichi to ever serve this village. And eventually become the second female Hokage, following in the footsteps of my idol…Lady Tsunade!" Mai clutched her fist, and fire burned in her eyes.

"Big dreams kiddo, I like that." Replied Genma, "…this seems like an interesting bunch here, however now I needa go over some things with the four of you."

The four gennin looked up at him attentively.

"…Now, I'm going to need you guys not to freak out." He said with a laugh, easing himself off the rail.

Mai narrowed her eyes, "…Why would we?"

"…Well…" Genma muttered as he put both hands on his hips. "It turns out that, out of the 25 graduates, only 16 of you will actually become gennin. Therefore, only 4 out of the six squads will make the cut…"

"What!?" The four kids yelled in shock, looking amongst each other.

"…Genma-Sensei, what does that mean exactly?" Kiyo asked, raising a hand, "Since we're already partnered up by Konohamaru-sensei, we can't possibly be split up? Can we?" He quickly tried to analyze the situation before freaking out.

"Not exactly." Genma answered, putting both hands behind is head. "…If I decide to, I can drop any one of you off this roster. As long as 16 of you graduates make the cut amongst each of the six groups, we can easily rearrange you accordingly, depending on who wasn't cut."

"But when you say cut Sensei, what does that mean cut?" Mai asked fearing the worst.

"Well simple!" Genma responded with a shrug, "It's bye bye back to the Ninja Academy for you!" He responded.

The four kids felt their stomachs drop. Takane wanted to throw up completely. None of them could fathom the idea of heading back to the academy for four more years of grueling schooling

"So how would you decide who to cut?!" The hat-wearing shinobi asked; sweat building up on his forehead.

The brown-haired jonin smirked, "Funny you might ask, mummy head." He sighed slightly, and sucked in some air. "…One week from now…You all will be tested."

"Tested how!?" Shouted Ryoji, frustrated with the way things were turning. "This can't be real!"

"It is most definitely real. Each team will have to endure a specific training exercise set up by their Jonin leaders. For me however, you'll have to do a simple survival exercise…"

"_Survival exercise..?" _Mai thought, slightly nervous.

"I'll go over the instructions more when the time comes…but I suggest that you guys start your training as soon as you leave this little meeting of ours. You have seven days to prepare now…more than enough time to get your shit together." Genma continued. He seemingly got joy out of seeing the horror on his student's faces.

"What the fuck does that mean!? You're telling us we worked so hard for four years and it could all be for nothing!" Ryoji shouted, standing out of his seat.

Genma laughed hardily, holding onto his stomach. "Precisely!" He blurted out, still busting his sides.

The Jonin calmed down as Ryoji's head dropped to the ground in sorrow. He put his hands in his pockets and looked over his students one last time. "Remember what I said…seven days…I'm sure you all will do fine."

He showed them a simple hand seal, and poofed in a cloud of white smoke. "I hope." were his last words.

The four kids sat there in disbelief, and each one was speechless. At this point, they all realized that their lives were moving faster than the speed of light.

**~A quick reality check from a man that wields a toothpick in between his teeth. Seven days until Survival Training...and it starts now! ~**


	6. Chapter 5: The Building Blocks of Teamwo

**Chapter 5:** **The Building Blocks of Teamwork **

**Chapter Illustration: ****Mai brushes her hair, looking into the mirror of her bedroom. Takane and Ryoji jump on her bed while wrestling each other. Wataru looks at all of the girly products in confusion.**

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><p><strong>~That Evening, Ninja Academy, Konohagakure~<strong>

Three men sat in the break room at the Ninja Academy that evening. One of the three was Konohamaru Sarutobi who sat at the end of a circular table. Two other men sat on either side, both of whom were Leaf Village Jonin. One was a taller man, who had wild black hair and dark brown eyes. The bridge of his nose was wrapped in bandages, and the bottom of his chin was painted red. He wore a standard leaf shinobi flak jacket. This man's name was Kotetsu Hagane.

The other man was Izumo Kamizuki. He was slightly shorter, and looked a lot less intense than Kotetsu. He had brown hair which was combed down into a bang covering his right eye. Covering over his head was a navy blue bandanna, just like Genma's, which had his headband at the end of it. He wore the same exact outfit as the man across the table.

The two had been friends for many years, and were able to reach the level of Jonin together. Rumor had it that when the two of them teamed up in battle, their power quadrupled the amount of the standard four man unit. Now, at this point in their lives, they had decided to become Jonin leaders to the new generation of Gennin.

"It's just typical Genma and Yugao to be this late…they never fail." Kotetsu said, scratching his itchy scalp. "I know Yugao's a busy lady, but Genma doesn't do a damn thing, what could make possibly make him so tardy?"

Izumo took a sigh, "Captain Genma is a little unsound, you know that Kotetsu. Plus, I bet whatever he's doing is reasonable. You've never been a very patient guy anyway."

"Hmph! I guess that's also true." Kotetsu agreed.

The two smirked at each other in only a way two best friends could. Konohamaru took a sip from a water bottle. "So what do you guys think of them?" He asked.

The two friends looked at Konohamaru in confusion. "Who? Genma and Yugao?"

"No…" The honorable grandson said shaking his head. "…Your new students."

The two Jonin looked at each other. Kotetsu scoffed and threw his hands behind his head as he began to lean back into his chair. "Hmph, they're a bunch of brats! Especially Kakashi Hatake's kid, what's the issue with him? He couldn't even stay awake while I was talking to them."

Konohamaru chuckled a little bit. He knew where Kotetsu was coming from. "Sachio, huh? He's a good kid; just someone you gotta baby a little bit."

"I'm no babysitter. I'll kick his little narrow ass."

Izumo chuckled and was just about to add his input when two puffs of smoke appeared in the far part of the room. Out of the shadows came two bodies, one of which held a long toothpick in its mouth. "Sheesh…finally." Kotetsu muttered under his breath.

Genma appeared slowly, his hands in his pockets. He had a smug grin on his face but still kept the low and calm demeanor he's always had. Next to him was a woman with long purple hair. Her face was soft and gentle; she was also quite beautiful. Just like all of the other men in the room, she was wearing a flak jacket and navy blue pants. Wrapped around her back was a black sheath.

Genma put his arms up, "Sorry I'm late…"he said. "Yugao here had an issue with her lips that needed some assistance." A cheesy smile smeared across his face. He made a kissy face at the Kunoichi.

Yugao rolled her dark eyes, "…He caught up to me on my way up here...don't believe him." She said, pushing Genma's face away from her. "It looks as if you guys started the discussion." she pulled up a chair next to Izumo at the table.

"We were just starting actually." Izumo responded. Genma followed and pulled up his own chair.

Konohamaru looked over the four of them, who all had their focus centered on him. The Sarutobi clansmen clasped his hands and placed them on the table. "So…I was originally asking Izumo and Kotetsu what they thought about their new graduate students. But now, since you guys are here, we can restart. Any first impressions?"

"Well I said it once, and I'll say it again…" Kotetsu grunted, "…They all come off as a bunch of weirdos to me. They're definitely a strange…er… group of brats."

"Believe it or not Kotetsu, your group has a lot of potential." Started the academy teacher, "…Aiko Keisan scored a perfect 5 on the Academy exam, in the mission intelligence portion…that's the first perfect score we've had on that section since Shikamaru Nara was in the academy. Iruka-sensei told me that the average for a graduating academy student is only a 2.5."

The four Jonin gasped, "A perfect five?" they all said in unison, utterly stunned.

Konohamaru smiled, "Yep, that him…but believe it or not he didn't get the top overall score in the whole academy, even with a perfect 5 in that section."

He looked at Yugao, "…It was one of your pupils Yugao. Osamu Uchiha…"

Genma snickered, and shook his head. "Why doesn't that surprise me…That's exactly what I would expect from the son of the Hokage. After all, he does have both Uchiha and Uzumaki blood in him…isn't that correct?"

Konohamaru nodded in acknowledgement. "He's a special kid. I think he even has the potential to grow stronger than the Hokage himself."

Izumo raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a statement there, honorable grandson." He said doubtfully. "Surely you haven't forgotten that the Hokage was a child of prophecy..?"

"It's just a hunch. Plus, I've watched these kids grow for four years…I know them very well." He replied. "…I have no doubt that each of the sixteen divided amongst your squads will pass the individual Gennin exam…I'm not too sure about the two other groups."

"What a shame..." Yugao mumbled.

Genma seemed to perk up really quickly; he patted his hand on the table. "…By the way, that reminds me…" He said taking the toothpick out of his mouth. "…Ryoji Kosumosu…he intrigues me. What did his scores look like?"

Konohamaru took a deep sigh, and reclined back into his chair. "…He's…he is an interesting prospect. He scored a failing 1 on everything…hand seals, ninja terminology, mission intelligence, calculus, Shinobi history. He bombed everything…"

"So why the hell did you pass him?" Kotetsu asked, slightly disgusted.

"Well…his taijutsu scored an above average 3.5 rating, but that's not the sole reason why I let him slip however…" The young teacher said, pulling a piece out of paper from his bag. He pointed to a number in the center of the rows and columns.

A marking was circled in bold red ink.

* * *

><p><em><strong>-Flashback-<strong>_

Konohamaru slugged down the hallways of the empty academy building. Three days of proctoring little kid's exams could drain the soul out of any man. However, it was finally over and now after one more meeting with his predecessor, he could finally go home and relax for a while. He reached a door, and used his keys to unlock it.

He went inside the room and grabbed a stack of papers with a small note on top, which read, _"Final Exam results: Konohamaru Sarutobi." _ He stuffed them in his bag and left the room.

In a half hour, Konohamaru arrived at an old home, which was way down the road, far from the academy. He wondered why the house was so far away if the owner had once been a dedicated academy teacher. This was the home of none other than Iruka Umino. Umino had been responsible for raising and passing the will of fire onto many of the leaf village's brightest shinobi. His accomplishments as a school teacher were well documented, and ultimately allowed him to retire peacefully.

Konohamaru knocked on the door, which was answered by the man himself soon afterward. Iruka was still very tall and slim like his younger years. His hair slightly grayed, and was let out of his famous ponytail. The deep scar across his nose stayed intact. The man's face went from neutral to light excitement to see his former student at his porch.

"Konohamaru! How have you been?" He asked, rustling the young man's hair as if he were still an eight year old. "It's been so long. How come you didn't come to visit sooner?"

The boy squirmed a little bit, and fixed his hair. "…I've been great Iruka-Sensei and i've been busy with work."

"Wow...busy with work huh?…You've grown so much…how's the academy?" The man asked with his hands on his hips.

"It's actually great; the kids just finished their graduation exams today." The Sarutobi said with a laugh.

"Ah that's right…how'd that whole thing go?" Iruka asked, gesturing Konohamaru to come inside. He followed Iruka inside the home.

"Well Iruka-sensei…that's actually what I've been meaning to talk to you about…" He said.

The two sat down at a table in the kitchen, directly across from each other. Konohamaru set his bag down next to him and pulled out the stack of papers from it. He placed them flat on the table in front of him, then quickly flipped to a page in the stack which read, _"Ryoji Kosumosu"._

His pointer finger slid first to the right, stopped at the column "Chakra Level." , and was carried all the way down to the middle of the page. He pointed to a score marked in big red letters.

**270.**

Iruka coughed violently upon seeing the number, almost choking on his own spit. Konohamaru stared at him with a straight face, eyes wide open. "…I don't understand it either Sensei. What does this mean?"

The older man grabbed the paper fiercely. His hands started to grow sweaty and shook uncontrollably. "…well isn't that amazing…" He said, voice trembling. "Triple the average…even for a Jonin…"

**-End of Flashback-**

* * *

><p>"270..?" Asked Yugao, "That's way too high for any shinobi his age."<p>

The academy teacher scratched his head, "Well it's the truth. Funny thing is that the kid has no control over it…and he can't seem to grasp the concept of hand seals at all. So Ninjutsu and Genjutsu seem to be completely out of the window at this point in time."

"Ugh...how disappointing. Imagine what he'd be able to do." Izumo muttered, rubbing his forehead.

Genma smirked. _"Heh…this Kid…I can't wait to try him out…" _He could feel the excitement boiling.

"But anyway..." Konohamaru took a sip of his drink and placed it on the table again. He put the pieces of paper back into his bag. "It's looking like the most talented in the class at this point is Osamu Uchiha, who had nothing less than a 3.5 in any section of the test." He said, tapping his fingers on the desk. Konohamaru turned his attention to Genma. "Kiyo Hyuga is another well rounded kid, he grasps concepts extremely well, just like his father would. Takane Mamoru and Mai Uzura are also at the same level, all had very balanced scores, none of them falling too low in terms of points other than Ryoji of course."

Genma nodded, satisfied with his team. He didn't really even listen to Konohamaru much after he heard about Ryoji's chakra score. He was extremely excited; he hadn't seen any shinobi with that kind of raw ability since the sage himself in the Chunin exams many years ago.

Konohamaru turned to Kotetsu.

"As for you Kotetsu, Kazumi Haruno excels in Taijutsu, like you would've probably guessed. However, with her mother being one of the best medical-nins in the world, she's quite adequate at Chakra control as well. Shizu Aburame and Sachio Hatake could even be more skilled than her…but they'll take time to figure out. I hope you'll be nice to them."

"Hmph. I won't disagree with that." Kotetsu replied, with a yawn. "But remember what I said, I'm no babysitter."

He nodded, "Yugao…you probably have the most talented group of the bunch. Osamu is a definite prodigy; I have no doubts about that one. Yukikisu Suzushi is also skilled, and has relatively good chakra levels. And also, Kouki, the son of Kiba Inuzuka, is going to become a pretty formidable shinobi as well…you know, nothing you wouldn't expect from an Inuzuka clan member." Continued Konohamaru.

Yugao nodded, "I actually liked who I was paired. But…there's also the one that calls himself Hideharu…he shares the same last name as-." She was cut off.

"Hayate Gekko..? Yes I know. I don't think however that the two of them are related in anyway... " Konohamaru smiled at the mention of that pupil, "Hideharu's a model student, but his learning curve will be pretty steep though, after all he wasn't necessarily born to be a shinobi."

_"Wasn't born to be a shinobi...?" _Yugao thought. "What do you mean?"

"Well apparently it's a story that's supposed to stay under wraps...by request of his family. You'll have to figure it out on your own."

The purple-haired Jonin slightly smirked, "I'm actually going to get a better look at the kid right now...I heard all I wanted to hear." She said. "I'll catch up with you boys later. Goodbye."

She disappeared into a cloud of smoke, to the surprise of the four other men in there.

"Who knows what she means by that..? Get a better look at him?" Izumo said, waving smoke away from his face. He shook off the thought. "But anyway…it seems as if I was able to nab the famous Ino-Shika-Cho descendants huh? Well, um, without the whole 'shika' part."

"Yea…it seems as if no Naras entered the academy in the past years, Shikamaru apparently has been the last one as of late." Konohamaru answered.

"Understandable, their all lazy bums anyway." Kotetsu added with a chuckle.

"But you should still be fine with Hanae Yamanaka and Chosamu Akimichi. You'll also be responsible for two of our brightest students in Chiyoko Kaigoshi and Wataru."

Izumo seemed to like the fact that he had control of even a bit of such a storied group. "Satisfied…but I think it's about time that Kotetsu and I headed out too." He said, standing up and pushing back his seat. Kotetsu nodded, and arose as well. "Sorry to cut things short, but we'll see you around Konohamaru, Genma."

The two friends poofed into smoke.

Genma and Konohamaru sat at the table alone. The bandanna wearing ninja smirked at him and stretched his airs up in the air. "…So this Ryoji kid is pretty special you said?" He asked with a smirk on.

Konohamaru smiled back, gathering his things. "Special is an understatement. But watch out for that… uhh…colorful personality he's got. That temper isn't anything to mess around with."

"I can see it...hopefully I can tap into some of that chakra of his."

"Oh Genma, you're such a mischievous man. Don't kill the kid."

The toothpick Jonin let out a laugh and dug his hands back into his pockets. "...You can trust me...I'll smell ya' later Honorable Grandson." He disappeared as well.

With that, Konohamaru took a sip of his water.

* * *

><p><strong>~Elsewhere in Konoha~<strong>

"…And then he said that we had only seven days to prepare! What the heck?" Ryoji weeped. He tugged on the shirt of a highly irritated Wataru, blowing his nose and wiping his tears on his shirt. Wataru pushed his head off of him. "How the heck are we even supposed to get ready?! He didn't even tell us what kind of training we'd even do?"

Ryoji and Wataru were with Takane and, surprisingly, Mai Uzura that morning. The four of them sat on top of a house which overlooked the entire market section of the village.

Takane and Mai leaned against the rail and watched Ryoji's big fit of madness. "Is this what he does often?" The Kunoichi asked Takane with a straight face. "It's pretty freaking sad to be honest…"

"Yep. This is Ryo for you." Takane answered. He got up and dragged his whiny friend off of Wataru. "It was a pretty surprising deal…" The boy with the Arabian hat said to his brown-haired friend. "I mean we just came off of the graduation exams for goodness sake. I don't think it's fair." His hands griped on Ryoji's legs.

Wataru turned his glance over to Mai, who was still sitting on the railing. "So excuse me…Why're you here with us again..?" He asked, sweat dropping from his forehead. This made the Kunoichi glare at him slightly.

"Well…" She said. "I decided what better way to establish a connection with my new teammates than to see what you guys do all day. So Takane said I was welcome to come hang out, and so far..." Mai looked at Ryoji who was still wiping his tears.

"...It's not going how I expected."

The brown-haired boy raised his eyebrows; although he found this pretty strange, after taking a look at Takane, who showed him a nervous shrug. He decided to drop it.

"How was your meeting with your new squad though, Wataru?" Takane asked.

Wataru rolled his eyes, "So lame." He said, putting his hands behind his head. "The guy talked to us for like 100 hours. Ninja this, ninja that. But he was a pretty chill dude, didn't come off as an ass like Konohamaru-sensei did. He said we have a Gennin exam as well in seven days, and any one of us is susceptible to failing." He said with a shrug, not really showing any emotion. "What the hell happened to Kiyo? Where is he?"

"Ugh. I think he said something about training with his aunt and mom for the next few days unfortunately…." Takane grumbled, not knowing his hot head friend had got back up to his feet. "He took it on himself to train for seven days straight at his place."

"That's bullshit!" Ryoji shouted, continuing his tirade. "How come we worked so fucking hard in the ninja academy for nothing!?" Ryoji shouted, stomping his foot on the ground. "There's no way they could just dick us around like that! Four years wasted for-"

"Shut up..!"

The wind zipped past Ryoji's maroon eyes, stopping his tongue from moving immediately. Takane and Wataru stood silently, and turned in the direction of Mai. The brown-haired girl held a bow in a ready position pointed right at Ryoji, without an arrow set in it. Ryoji was wide eyed. It took a few second to realize what had happened. He looked in the opposite direction and saw an arrow deeply lodged into the rock ledge.

"…Don't you understand, you monkey?" She asked, her eyes burning like a flame. Her face was stoic and unwavering, and the wind blew her hair magnificently as if she was some sort of angel. "That's what being a shinobi is about…accepting any challenge at any time."

She put her bow down on the ground, stepping on it so it wouldn't be moved by the wind. "…Your goal was to become Hokage am I correct? So far it seems all you do is whine and complain. What the heck type of Hokage is that? Not one that runs any village I know!"

Ryoji's eyes widened in disbelief. _"...Huh?"_

"I don't know how we're gonna manage to complete any missions with a big baby like you on our team…Grow up already, because if you don't..."

She turned her back to the boys. "I'll be beating you to the title of 'Hokage'!" She announced with a smirk on her face, looking right back at Ryoji.

"I'm gonna do what Kiyo's doing and start my training. I suggest that you guys do the same...If you wanna pass that is. See ya'."

Mai disappeared in smoke after grabbing her bow.

_"Ouch..." _Wataru thought, rubbing his forehead to prevent a migraine.

* * *

><p><strong>~Aburame Compound, Konohagakure~<strong>

Shizu adjusted her thick glasses as she focused on the ridges of a big tree. Mid-day was approaching quickly, and no one could tell how long the Kunoichi had been outside alone.

In between the ridges and cracks of the old tree was a leaf which seemed to be moving itself up the three. However, being from the Aburame clan, Shizu knew that these strange phenomena couldn't happen without the help of very tiny insects. She could see about four or five small insects helping each other carry the leaf up the tree. She watched in pure and utter fascination at the sight.

Each stumble the bugs made on the trip upward made her smile, it was as if she was watching a toddler take its first steps on two feet from a life of crawling on all fours. However, she couldn't help but feel as if something was missing. That morning she had met Kotetsu Hagane, and attended the first meeting along with Sachio Hatake, Kazumi Haruno, and Akio Keisan, her new teammates. However, she felt nothing for them. They just seemed like another nuisance, all four of them.

"There you are…" A voice said, coming from behind the girl. She didn't even bother to turn around toward it, as she already knew who it was.

"You know you shouldn't disappear all morning. Your mother misses you." It said. Standing there was a man with a green flak jacket and a black body suit underneath. His thick black shades matched hers.

"Father…I'm always here. You know that." Shizu said softly, turning to see him.

The man was Shino Aburame, a revered Jonin and scientist in the Hidden Leaf. His hands were lodged deeply in his pockets. "How was your meeting?" He asked her, voice as muffled as possible underneath a mask from his his body suit.

"Worthless." She responded coldly, focusing her energy back on the bugs.

Shino frowned at her from underneath the black cloth. "Nothing is worthless Shizu..."

"They are Father."

"Who is 'they'?" Shino asked, approaching the girl.

"Those kids. They are almost as worthless as the rest of these people…all they want to do is become shinobi so they can destroy each other again. All they are are animals…"

Shino said nothing; all he could do is listen.

"I feel like I'm next in line…" Shizu said putting her head down. "Next in line to be one of this world's killer puppets…I'd rather be a little bug…so that all I'd have to do is be on my own and take care of myself."

Her father walked up next to her, and stood. "So does that mean you don't care about me? or your mother?"

"Of course not father!" Shizu shouted, turning her gaze to him. "I...I just feel so torn."

He also recognized the bugs that she was watching on the tree. "I understand. It's a normal feeling for a shinobi…" Shino looked into the air, butterflies flew overhead. "…But as a shinobi, our goal is to hopefully rid the world of all this senseless fighting…you must commit your whole soul to that cause. A Puppets doesn't have a soul…"

Shizu pouted, "What about all of them father? They don't understand that…I hate them. I hate how they play hero in their little headbands. They just want the fame! I hate them..."

Shino's eyes widened. He never knew that his daughter felt so strongly about this. "Shizu…don't say such things, you should care for your village, and love your teammates…" He knelt over and watched the insects finally reach a hole in the tree, where they helped each other push the leaf inside. "…because without them, you wouldn't survive. Just like these insects carrying food. Your teammates will always have your back, and maybe with their help we can rid the world of this animalistic violence…"

The bug master patted his daughter's head, "I used to feel the same way once...always wanted to be on my own. Thought of my friends as nuisances. But their came a time when I needed them and they were there for me..."

In Shino's mind flashed Kiba, Hinata, his mentor Kuranai, and the sage himself. He quickly thought of his village and the day of his graduation. "...Without your friends...your ninja way has not an ounce of truth behind it...no matter how much you believe it does." He walked off. "Believe me Shizu, there will be a time when you will realize the same thing..."

Shizu watched her father disappear. _"Hmm...?" _She thought. As she turned back to the tree, she could see the insects finally fitting the plant into a fixed hole inside of it. Together all of the tiny creatures burrowed into the wood, not to come out again.

The girl said nothing.

**~The Gennin Exam looms over the heads of the young shinobi…Six days were left. ~**


	7. Chapter 6: Exceeded Expectations

**Chapter 6: Exceeded Expectations**

**Chapter Illustration: Genma rides on a giant turtle, hands behind his head and legs crossed. Kiyo and Takane struggle to push it, sweating bullets.**

* * *

><p><strong>~One Day Later, Konohagakure~<strong>

Clouds rolled by on a sunny day. The breeze was calm and gentle, rustling the leaves and shaking the many trees that stood proudly in Konoha. It had already been a few days since the Gennin hopefuls had met their new teachers, but they still had some days to go before enduring their actual day of judgement.

The leaf village park was a place where young mothers brought their children to play, and where the elderly walked around on a cement roundabout for hours at a time. Today however, the park was, for the most part, empty.

On the swing set sat two of the Gennin hopefuls, Sachio Hatake and Akio Keisan. The grey haired boy swung back and forth on the swing in quite a fierce fashion. It seemed like he had not one care in the world. With each descending motion, he would deliver a kick to the air, which propelled the swing to go even higher.

Akio, who was stationary on the other swing, watched his new teammate go back and forth through the air. Sweat dropped from his forehead, and his foot tapped in the dirt. He pushed his glasses up and took a slight inhale and exhale. "…You know I can't help but be a little nervous about this upcoming weekend…" He said, with a low quiet voice.

Surprisingly, Sachio was able to hear him. "For what?" was his response, still swinging.

Akio looked up at him slightly surprised by his aloofness. "Did you forget about our exam..? It's kinda a big deal you know."

"I…didn't…forget..." He responded in-between swings, still with no sense of urgency in his voice.

"So why doesn't this bother you? We're at a huge disadvantage. This could result in some terrible outcomes. " Akio responded, scratching his chin nervously. "...We could all be sent back to the academy if we don't do well!"

Sachio planted his two feet into the ground and stopped the swing set in it's tracks. "…It's not a big deal man. Relax…" His two eyes looked deep into Akio's, piercing through his glasses.

More sweat dropped from Akio's forehead, he just couldn't understand how this kid could take something so serious, so lightly. "Relax? Relax?!" He said with his nose flaring. "How can you say that so carelessly? Don't you understand what's at stake here? This could damn well be our careers at stake."

Sachio just blankly stared at him, mouth open.

"…If one of us screws up, the fate of all four of us could be jeopardized. That's no joking matter Sachio, and so far it doesn't seem like you even want to be a shinobi right now!" Akio shouted, pushing himself off the swing set and propping his hands on his hips. Sachio continued to stare at him, it gave Akio the impression that he had zoned out as usual.

"What's the matter with you!? It's not logical for someone to be this calm under this kind of pressure."

"I guess I am…everything doesn't gotta be logical bro."

"I don't want to hear it! Did your dad not teach you any better?!" Shouted the blue-haired boy, turning his body away from his teammate.

Sachio closed his mouth, and his face turned stoic. He looked away from Akio, his vision seemingly traveling past the jungle gyms of the Konoha Park. A long silence followed, all the two boys could hear was the calming winds.

Akio turned halfway towards Sachio, "…Hey, I didn't mean that. I overreacted." He said, scratching his head. Sachio looked up at him; a light smile crossed his face. "It's no biggie bro. People always say that kind of stuff to me."

The blue-haired boy pushed in his glasses. He couldn't help but feel guilty about what he'd said even though Sachio showed no sign of pain or worry. Akio wasn't a mean spirited person, but the pressure of this upcoming exam was truly driving him nuts. " No man look, I seriously didn't mean to say that to you, that was a really low blow and I-"

"Dude...I said it's ok. Things happen. I know you didn't mean it." Sachio responded, waving his hand back and forth.

"So…" Akio said. "...It doesn't bother you or anything?"

Sachio chuckled a bit, and looked into the clouded sky. "At one point it did…I guess now I just know myself and who I am."

His teammate sat back on the swing baffled. "..What do you mean? I don't understand."

"I mean of course I know who the heck my dad is. He was great and all, and did great things for this village. But he's always told me that I'm Sachio Hatake…not Kakashi Hatake. It's about finding out what my Nindo is. Not my dad's."

Akio nodded in submission, "Ok I get that…It's just that you act so…"

"Dumb? I've heard that one before too. But what can I do about it? Act like everyone who's supposedly 'smart' or 'intelligent'? What is that crap anyway, what would make me smart or intelligent in your eyes anyway? High test scores or something?" Sachio asked, with humor in his heart. "…I block out negativity bro. As a shinobi, I don't think there's space for that stuff."

_"...Block out negativity, eh?"_

"There's so much hate and judgement being passed on through generations. I'm not tryna travel that road. I do what I want, when I want. Who's gonna stop me?" Kakashi's son said. "You gotta be your own man. Don't get dominated by other people's ideas of you."

Akio looked at him in wonder; he ended up smirking however, and pushed his glasses up again for a final time. "That's true..."

"Hey wanna grab a bite? My mom's store is just around the corner from here." He asked, getting up from the swing.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

><p><strong>~Elsewhere in Konoha~<strong>

Chiyoko rested her bag on the side of her at the bank of a small lake in Konoha. The water was clear and blue, with a large brown bridge connecting from one side to the other. She took in the beautiful scenery of the lake, and was able to hear all the sounds of nature swirling around her. The mahogany-haired girl loved to have the whole lake to herself in the mornings. She kicked off the black sandals, and tip-toed down to the water's edge. Dipping her silky-skinned toes into the cool water took her mind of the heat that day.

Chiyoko sat down and opened her bag, pulling out a thick book. She took a light lick of her finger and flipped through the pages of the book until she reached a page with the corner folded up. _"Aha. Antidote classifications." _She thought, her face filled with excitement. The girl began to study the page diligently.

Meanwhile, Wataru walked down the street alone, his hands buried deep inside his pockets. His stomach grumbled and his feet ached, but he tried his best to ignore it. The boy had no money at all to even buy food, and he had no place to rest.

"Ugh…this is such a problem…" He muttered to himself.

Within minutes, the boy reached the same small lake that Chiyoko had came to earlier. He sighed, "…it's the perfect place to chill and sleep…but there's no food over there."

Wataru turned to leave but something caught his eye. He turned and took a closer look at the lake bank. He spotted Chiyoko reading the big book. Wataru blinked twice in surprise; to make sure what he was seeing wasn't just a hunger mirage. "Hey…it's that girl from the other day…." He said to himself, under his breath.

He took his steps down the cement stepping stones. While doing so, he fixed his hair, brushed off his clothes, blew his breath into his hand and sniffed it. He didn't realize that he was even ignoring his hunger to look as calm and cool as possible. Wataru finally reached her; he stood behind her while she had absolutely no awareness of his presence.

Chiyoko was deeply invested into her book, more than anyone Wataru had ever seen before. As he stood behind her in silence, he mustered up his lines while his eyes were glued to her small feet gently causing ripples in the water. "Uh…hey what's up." He said, after an exhale. Chiyoko snapped out of her trance and looked back at him. At first, she gave him a look of confusion, but it quickly transformed into a hearty smile. "Oh! Hey! How are you?" She asked, closing her book slightly.

Wataru was slightly relieved that he wasn't blown off within seconds. "I'm cool. Um...I just came here to relax or something. Do you come here a lot?" He asked her.

"Yea…every now and then." She replied modestly.

"So…uh… you're names Chiyoko Kaigoshi right?" He asked, scratching the back of his head.

She nodded at him with her same cute smile and rosy red cheeks, "Oh my..! I can't believe you actually remembered my name."

Wataru blushed slightly, "Whelp, it's such a beautiful name how could I forget." He sat down next to her, and took off his beat up sandals. He dipped his feet into the water next to her.

"You're Wataru..?" She said, with a hint of questioning in her voice.

"Well shit." Wataru said, now looking into her face. "I'm even more surprised that you remembered. People always mistake me for someone else."

Chiyoko giggled at the statement, "Aww." She joked, making a puppy face. "I promise, I'll always know who you are."

Wataru chuckled and took a short stare at her. She was smiling at him, which caused him to get a little uneasy, "This pop exam is going to be such a bummer... If you don't mind me asking, what are you studying over there?" He asked, pointing to the book. "…last week cramming on how to fight?" He joked with a laugh.

Chiyoko shook her head and lifted the book off of the grassy floor. She placed it on her lap in a position that she was showing Wataru the cover. The big black book read in emerald letters, _"Medical Drug Classification Guide." _The main book of all aspiring medic-nin, Wataru had heard of it before. "Oh yea…you wanted to become a medical-nin…you told us in our group meeting the other day, I remember."

She nodded at him, "Yep. That's the goal."

"But shouldn't you be training? I mean I don't know what understanding drugs will do for a survival test."

Chiyoko paused for a second, and put the book down. "…You can say I'm looking a bit past that. I've always been able to get by those type of things." She took one of her feet out of the water, "…Nothing's going to keep me from my goal, Wataru. I expect to pass Izumo-Sensei's test because I believe that it's just a slight speed bump in the race to attain it."

Wataru smiled at her softly, "It's quite a goal, I must say. Being a medic-nin is such troublesome work."

"Not just any old medical-nin, silly." She said with a giggle. "I want to become the best medical nin...even surpassing the likes of Lady Tsunade, Lady Shizune, and Lady Sakura. I want to be able to help everyone all across the world…make sickness a thing of the past even..."

Wataru paused, his mouth a little numb from keeping it open. He couldn't believe a girl could have so much ambition. For him to even fathom that goal would've been too much stress for him, let alone actually try to pursue it. He'd always known he was on the lazy side of things, but it wasn't until now that he actually paid attention to the flaw. "...but sickness is inevitable you know…It's a part of life..." He asked, still stunned.

"Yea I know…but at least my effort will make this world a better place. Even if it's only by a tiny bit." She said once again smiling at him. "…But until then, I gotta keep working and suck up all the information I can so I can actually come close to even reaching that goal."

Wataru watched as she cracked open her book, and flipped back to her page with the folded edge. "…that right." He said, facing the lake. _"...Whoa Wataru...Where's your life goin' old boy?" _

He realized that he needed some damn goals to be a ninja. Not just wondering through life, looking for loose change.

**~Gennin Exam around the corner. Pressure brings out true character! ~**


	8. Chapter 7: Dog Day Afternoon Pt 1

**Chapter 7:**** Dog Day Afternoon Pt. 1**

**Chapter Illustration: ****Sasuke's forehead sweats as he rustles through the pile of papers overflowing on his desk at the Hokage tower.**

* * *

><p><strong>~Later that Day, Konohagakure~<strong>

"Oh my god…just look at him."

Hanae Yamanaka and a group of girls were banded together, each with some type of lunch in their possession. The blonde haired beauty peered into the sky through a pair of binoculars. She licked her lips, as her eyes stayed completely and utterly focused on her target.

The binoculars were pointed in the direction of a house which was on a higher level than the girls gathered at the Konoha Park. It was a group of about 6 or so girls including Hanae, each squinting to see the same thing Hanae saw on the edge of the big building.

"What Hanae? Do you see him?" One girl asked tugging on the blonde's pants.

Hanae kicked her leg, making the girl remove her hand quickly. "Of course I see him you fool!" She barked, "…a girl can't just admire the beauty of her true love in peace?"

The six girls in the group all let out a simultaneous, "Awwwwwh." Each with fluttering eyelashes, and clasped hands on the side of their cheeks.

"Oh my gosh, so cute!"

"I wish I had a true love!"

"You're so lucky Hanae!"

This both annoyed Hanae and feel extremely privileged at the same time. "…Oh shut up you peasants." She said, even with a small smile on her face. She handed the binoculars to one of the other girls, who grabbed it eagerly like a dog would pounce on a piece of meat.

"Seriously though, each of you gets a five second look at him. I want those back right away!" Hanae said, with her hands on her hips. The girls scrambled to grab the pair of binoculars to see the sight. They scratched and argued back and forth while Hanae's sweat dripped. She turned and looked towards the big building, seemingly able to see her target with her bare eyes now.

"_Osamu Uchiha…get ready to be mine." _She thought, clinching her teeth.

* * *

><p><strong>~Elsewhere in Konoha~<strong>

Osamu sat on a window sill outside his bedroom. His black silky hair waved in the soft wind, his eyes shut. His legs hung of the edge of the window into the bottomless air. Most men would never have the guts to sit and relax on such a high surface; however Osamu wasn't fazed a bit. His face was still, and his eyebrows furrowed just like his father's would.

In his hand was a bowl of white race, and the other held chopsticks. This was his quiet time. He slowly took bits of his rice, and put them into his mouth calmly. A deep meditation period, and also his lunch time.

Suddenly, he opened his left eye. He could sense something approaching from behind him. He turned to the door inside his bedroom, which was still shut. The space under the door was dark, indicating that the shadow of legs stood there. He raised an eyebrow and came into the room. Finally, a knock came from the other side. "Osamu…you have a visitor at the door." A woman's voice said.

Osamu sighed, put down the rice, and walked towards the door. Upon opening it, he saw his mother. She had long, red hair running down past her butt. Her bold crimson eyes were masked by her brown glasses. Her name was Karin Uchiha, wife of the sixth Hokage.

"Tell him to go away…I'm busy mother." Osamu said, his face a straight as possible.

Karin put her hands on her hips, "No can do. Listen, You've gotta start getting out more Osamu…and also it's not a 'him' by the way…it's a girl. She seems very sweet."

Osamu rolled his eyes, "…that doesn't surprise me either." He looked at his nails, and blew them. "Don't make me yawn."

His mother smiled at him, "You have my eyes and your father's face! You can't blame the ladies for hounding ya'." She said, moving her hands from her hips to a folded position at her chest. "Plus maybe it'll be fun. You need some spice in your life every now and then don't you?"

"I hate spicy food..." Osamu turned away, "Whoever it is, I highly doubt that she's worth my time anyway."

"Well that's too bad! I already told her you're on your way down to see her." She said patting his shoulder with some force. "Be polite. Remember what I told you about cranky people. They turn into Jinchuurik-"

"Hmph! I'm too old for that lie now, Mother!" The Hokage's son grumbled, "Fine, you know what? I'll tell her I'm busy on my own then!"

He headed down the stairs.

Karin smiled and shook her head.

* * *

><p><strong>~Ichiraku Ramen~<strong>

"Really? Kazumi Lee-Haruno? With the pink hair?!" Sachio shouted, as surprised as he could be.

Akio twitched; he looked from left to right in the Ichiraku ramen restaurant. No other customer seemed to pay the two of them any attention. "Could you keep it down…it's supposed to be a secret bonehead." He said, slightly annoyed.

Sachio laughed with his mouth full of noodles, even almost choking on the food. He banged his fist on the table. "What do you want?!" He said, laughing hysterically. "…your spirit of youth to sizzle too?! Bwahahahaa!"

Akio's face was straight, "Ha ha. Very funny asshole, but seriously, I really have a thing for her. It's no laughing matter."

Sachio wiped a tear from his eye, "…That was priceless…but bro, why don't you just say something to her? Isn't she our teammate?"

"As easy as that sounds, I'm afraid I can't seem to help myself out. My nerves always kick in anytime she's around." He said, turning his noodles in circles with his chopsticks. "I over-analyze every situation when she's around.."

Sachio frowned, "…So you got butterflies?" He asked mouth still full of food.

"You can say that." Akio responded.

The son of Kakashi thought to himself as he took another large slurp. He thought about calling his mother, who had cooked the Ichiraku dish for him, but Sachio knew he didn't need a woman's advice for this situation. Ayame, Kakashi's wife, came from the back room with another two bowls of food. "Anyone still hungry..?" She asked, flapping seasoning off her apron.

"Thanks mom." And "Thanks Mrs. Hatake." Came from each boy respectively as they grabbed the dishes. From the tone of their voices, Ayame could tell that her son and his friend were deep in thought. _"Uh oh...I can see it in their little faces...Girl problems...Poor things. I hope they figure something out, no place for me to be nosy today." _She decided to let the boys solve the issue, _"They're smart boys..." _Ayame tended to another customer.

"…You know what!?" Sachio said, breaking the thoughtful silence between them, "…I'll help you out bro!" He patted his hand on Akio's scrawny shoulder.

Akio raised an eyebrow, "…You'll what? Well, I mean, how could you possibly-"

"Ah, don't worry! If there's a will, there's a way right? We'll do it together!" He said, with a warm smile. "All we gotta do is put our brains together and make a plan or something!"

Akio smiled back at him, he knew he could trust him. "Thanks…thanks a lot." He said as he pushed his glasses up into his face. "But...what kind of plan?"

"Uhhh...I have no idea yet! But with my help, you'll have her beating down your door in no time! Just you wait..." Sachio responded, with a light chuckle. The two friends butted fist, and began to scarf down their new bowls of noddles.

Ayame noticed the change in demeanor of the two boys from across the table. _"...Good boy Sachio...you sure do take after your daddy." _She smiled and went back into the kitchen.

* * *

><p><strong>~Osamu's house~<strong>

"What do you want?" Osamu said, hands in his pockets and looking away from the girl that stood outside on his porch.

Kazumi had her hands clasped together, down near her crotch area. Her back was straight and she stood as if she was a new maid for Osamu's household. She had a wide smile on her face and her cheeks were as red as Osamu's eyes. Through all this however, the uchiha heir could tell she was very nervous.

"Hey Osamu." The pink-haired girl said, voice almost cracking midway. "Umm…I wanted to know if you could...urm...well...I don't know...hang out today or something."

Osamu watched as Kazumi's heels hopped slightly off the ground with each word she spoke. The sweat on her forehead began to roll down the side of her face. He looked her up and down, and then into her emerald eyes. He could feel a big fat "no" on the edge of his tongue, but quickly held it in with all of his mental might. He took a deep sigh, because if he were to blow this girl off, his mother would never be out of his ear for it.

Osamu gulped and scratched his chin. "Al…Alright…" He said.

A look of excitement showed across her face, she even clapped her hands together happily. "Oh great! What you wanna do first?!" Kazumi asked, smiling.

Osamu frowned, _"…She asked me to hangout…and didn't have a plan?" _He thought to himself, a little bit annoyed. He ended up answering with a shrug and an awkward smile. "…Lets go for a walk maybe..?"

Kazumi nodded, "What a great Idea, you're so amazing Osamu!" She said at lightning speed, with an overly loud laugh. She tugged his arm and wrapped it around hers. Reluctantly, Osamu followed her lead and the two walked off from the home.

Out of the window, Karin watched her son with a smile. She couldn't stop reminding herself of her husband. Their son had definitely taken after his father. _"…Good job Karin…you did well for yourself." _She thought proudly.

* * *

><p>It took a while for the two to make their pilgrimage around the leaf village. Osamu had become completely exhausted; he struggled to keep up the overly energetic girl at bay. The long day had consisted of lots of fake smiling, uncomfortable play-fighting, and copious amounts of dealing with a very low attention span. He was absolutely drained. Girls were like little flies to him anyway, pesky and needy.<p>

"Oh Osamu…you're so romantic. I've always dreamt of spending the whole day with you." Kazumi said, still holding onto his arm and resting her head on his shoulder as they walked through the Konoha market place.

Osamu's everlasting frown was stuck on his face. He just wanted to rip off his arm and let her keep it while he escaped, a worthy sacrifice. This was the most uncomfortable that he'd ever been probably in his whole young life. He had no idea how to respond. "Good...I'm…uh glad to hear that." He said with a weak smile.

She held his hand, "Come, there's somewhere I want to show you..."

Kazumi dragged her date to the Konoha Park, which was filled with little children. In the middle of the afternoon, kids from all across the village would come there to play. The two academy graduates sat at a small bench. Osamu had no idea why she had brought him there, but he sure didn't like the vibes she was giving off. He started to sweat, and clenched his knees together.

She rested her head on his shoulder.

"_She comes on so strong…this can't be good." _Osamu thought, swallowing his spit. He decided to end this madness right here and now. "…Kazumi…I had an amazing time today and I-"

He was cut off.

"Oh my gosh! So did I Osamu! I knew we felt the same way! I was just waiting for you to stop being such a shy little baby! That's so adorable! Almost as adorable as you!" She shouted, with hearts in her eyes, hopping up and down. "You're so gorgeous. Everything about you is perfect, your eyes, your little ears, your toes! Everything!"

_"M..my toes?!"_ Osamu thought, gasping. _"Whats wrong with this girl?!"_

Osamu was frozen in fear. He didn't know where to go from this point. He couldn't hit her, and he didn't want to be disrespectful and use a substitution jutsu to hightail it out of there. Before he could even come to a conclusion, Kazumi had puckered her full soft lips and was coming right at him. _"This is bad. This is really bad." _She was coming in so fast that Osamu gave up. He couldn't fight fate, so he just stared at her lips, with his teeth clenched. He closed his eyes, and tried his best kissy face.

He could feel the steam of her nostrals touch his upper lip. She was literally an inch away from his face. Nothing could stop the kiss of death. "...I've been waiting for this..." Kazumi whispered. She placed her hand on his thigh and moved in closer to him.

Suddenly, a shadow flashed past Osamu's face.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw a hand smothered Kazumi's face, negating her kiss within seconds. To Osamu and Kazumi's surprise, Hanae had slid in between the two on the park bench. While holding Kazumi's puckered face in the palm of her hands, a warm smile was directed at Osamu, whose face showed subtle surprise. "Hey there Osamu honey." She said.

Kazumi struggled to get Hanae's hand off of her face. Anger was slowly starting to show through the tight, widespread fingers. Osamu was speechless, and had no idea what to say. "…Please excuse the two of us." Hanae said, blowing a kiss at him. She pulled Kazumi by the lips to the other side of the jungle gym set, opposite from the park bench.

Sakura's daughter threw Hanae's hand away. "Hanae! What the heck are you doing?" Kazumi said, furious at the fact her lips were starting to burn. "Did you follow us or something?"

Hanae's demeanor changed, her face turned extremely red. Five of her friends emerged from behind her and surrounded Kazumi. "…What the hell do you think you're doing?" The Yamanaka heir said, teeth clenched. "...Do you have any idea who that is?"

Kazumi's eyebrows furrowed. "We just went out on a simple date…that's all." She said, with a stern look on her face. "What's the big idea?"

"Osamu Uchiha is not for you, you dumb slut! That's my future husband, and I don't want you anywhere near him!" Hanae snapped.

Kazumi was utterly surprised by the absurd statement. "What the hell are you talking about? You don't own him!" She growled back, spreading her legs slightly. "He doesn't like you the way he likes me!"

"You are ugly! Ugly people don't deserve to have nice things like sexy guys! It's like bad artwork or dead flowers, they're ugly and they always end up in one place, the trash!" Hanae shouted.

"Excuse you? Could you repeat that again, Ms. Piggy?"

"You're ugly as hell so therefore that means you're nothing but garbage. Now you'd better stay the hell away from my man!" She said, pointing at Kazumi.

"Or else what, you whore!" She shouted getting in Hanae's face. "...Because the last time I checked, _I_ was the one who was on a date with him, _I _was the one who made him have an amazing day, and _I _was the one who kisse-"

In a flash, a hand swiped across the face of the pink-haired girl, making her slide back. Kazumi wiped her lip, wide eyed from the savagery of her fellow kunoichi. "You bitch…" She muttered, checking for blood on her hands.

"_Almost _kissed him...I'm gonna make sure you can't ever kiss again." The blonde cracked her knuckles. "You put all this on yourself you pink-haired cock sucker! I'm gonna teach you a lesson about even thinking about putting yourself in the same class as us!" Hanae shouted running right at Kazumi.

The girl jumped into the air and twirled around beautifully like the summer time winds. Her legs were paired together and the surrounding wind became an invisible drilling force field. Hanae's friends cleared the way, and left it one on one between her and the green kunoichi. The kids ceased from running around and playing to focus their attention on the conflict.

She dove into the ground where Kazumi was standing with the drill kick, creating enough force to lift up the mulch and wood chips from off the playground. Kazumi narrowly dodged the two legs, jumping to the side out of danger. The small children at the park all started to run in separate directions, screaming and yelling in horror. Seeing this commotion, Osamu stood up from the park bench to witness what was calling the chaos.

Hanae threw swift punches at Kazumi, who was able to block and defend against each and every one. This made the Yamanaka heir angrier and angrier with each attack. She crouched down in a second and executed a three sixty sweep kick aiming at the ankles, in which Kazumi dodged by jumping upward into the air. Kazumi flipped over into an ax-kick, which was dodged by a backwards somersault by Hanae.

"You're messing with the best Taijutsu artist in the ninja academy. You do not want to do this, Hanae!" Kazumi said, fuming. "No one's gonna get in between me and my boyfriend."

Hanae chuckled, "Hah! Only ugly sluts like you aim to make a guy like Osamu just a boyfriend! You must know you're not wife material!"

Kazumi in a flash charged at her and jumped into the air, _"Dainamikku Entorī" _She shouted. At a high speed she flew through the air unleashing a kick that propelled her forward like a bullet. The attack was so fast, Hanae didn't even try to block. She was sent flying into jungle gym. However, she was quickly able to flip herself around rebound. Gasps could be heard from the group of girls watching the scuffle.

To her surprise, Kazumi was still coming at her with a fist. The right hook was only able to meet a forearm block by Hanae. Kazumi flipped over to the girl's backside and followed up with a roundhouse kick to Hanae's ribs, which knocked some wind out of her. The other free leg of Kazumi's swung around at was making a B-line toward's Hanae's face. The blonde swung he head back and arched her back almost to a 90 degree angle, allowing the leg to swing above her.

Hanae jumped backwards, and charged back in with a left hook. Kazumi dodged it and launched her left knee into the stomach of her rival. Spit briefly flew out of Hanae's mouth, making her pause, thus leaving her wide open for a left hook by Rock Lee's daughter. Hanae hit the ground with a loud "thud".

The blonde didn't show any sign of pain however, as she jumped out of the close combat range. She pulled a kunai knife out from her pocket. _"Hm...this slut sure is skilled with this Taijutsu nonsense...but I got something for her!" _She thought.

"You're gonna regret trying this crap, Kazumi." Hanae called out now.

"Hmph! I only trust in the fire of youth!" Kazumi said, folding her arms with a cocky smile on her face.

Hanae jumped up into the air and threw the kunai swiftly in the direction of Kazumi's head. The velocity of the knife was quite low, making it extremely easy for the Taijutsu user to deflect the attack with the back of her hand. "Too easy pig!" She shouted.

In mid-air, Hanae was making a sly smirk. She formed together a pair of hand seals. _"Rakka Hanabira no jutsu" _She shouted.

Kazumi started to notice blonde hair follicles swaying in the wind. She looked down at the kunai knife that was thrown. It had small pieces of blonde hair all over it, and now they swayed in the wind. _"She trapped me..! That kunai was meant to be deflected so that it would spread all of the hair follicles out...I fell right into her jutsu!" _She thought in panic. It was too late.

Kazumi soon saw nothing but purple flower petals everywhere. The world around her became a blurred illusion. All she could notice were the flower petal, which were blonde hair locks just a second ago. She was immobilized, but felt no fear. The girl was stuck in a beautiful trance.

Hanae's voice came from beyond. _"This is what true elegance is my dear…not that gross taijutsu your father taught you…I've won now." _She said before a soft laugh. The daughter of Rock lee still couldn't do a thing. Her body was out of her control.

Outside of the jutsu state, Hanae flew at the frozen Kazumi at lightning speed, ready to deliver a devastating kick. "It's over now Kazumi!" She shouted sticking out her foot. In a flash however, Osamu jumped in front of the kick, and blocked it nearly effortlessly.

"Stop." He simply said, tossing Hanae back.

The blonde did a simple back flip and landed gently on her toes. She looked at the boy in surprise, her mouth dropped down to her knees. He made one simple seal after walking over to the hypnotized Kazumi, and snapped her out of the Genjutsu. Hanae could barely speak. "B…but Osamu…why would you save her, she's ugly and gross..and…"

"Shut up." The Uchiha boy said, delivering a death glare that would rival even his father's. The blonde stopped dead in the middle of her sentence, as the rest of her friends watched in amazement. Kazumi smirked at the scene, and was about to open her mouth to boast.

"The both of you should be ashamed of yourselves…" Osamu said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "…Grow up...look around you."

The two rivals looked left and right, and still failed to see what Osamu wanted them to see. "You can't see what you've done?" He asked.

"Osamu...I'm confused." Kazumi said, tears almost appearing in her eyes.

"Because of your selfishness...all of the kids are gone. You scared them away." He finally said, still not opening his eyes to look at the two girls.

Kazumi and Hanae both looked at each other and then looked at Osamu, who had turned and started to walk away. "But Osamu we were just-"

"You're annoying!" He said, turning around one last time. "I'm going home! Don't ask me to go anywhere with you again..." before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

The girls sat, covered in dirt.

Both speechless and ugly as hell.

**~Bitter Rivalries or Growing Friendships? The times are forever changing in Konoha.~**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note:<strong>__ So I decided to follow in the footsteps of my favorite author Shang. One thing I liked that he really did in his fanfics was put Jutsu descriptions at the bottom of his chapters. The only un-corny way to put jutsu in a fanfic is to at least TRY using the best Japanese as possible and not just go with the English stuff lol. So here's the two jutsu used by Kazumi and Hanae in this chapter! _

_**Dainamikku Entorī **__**(Dynamic Entry):**_

The User flies into the opponent at an extremely high velocity to deliver a jump kick._  
><em>

Class: D  
>Type: Taijutsu<br>Nature: None

_**Rakka Hanabira no Jutsu **__**(Falling Petal Jutsu): **_

Using a Kunai knife and a small (plentiful) medium such as hair follicles, pebbles, sand etc, the user is able to create the illusion of falling flower petals to entrance their opponent, giving them an easier chance to strike.

Class: C  
>Type: Genjutsu<br>Nature: None _**  
><strong>_


	9. Chapter 8: Dog Day Afternoon Pt 2

**Chapter 8:**** Dog Day Afternoon Pt. 2**

**Chapter Illustration: ****Ryoji, Takane, Sachio, Wataru, Akio, Kiyo, Egao and Mai sit in a living room watching a soccer game. All of the boys, covered in Brazil colors bow their heads in despair at the sight of a 7-1 loss on the TV screen. Egao and Mai hug each other and cheer, each sporting Germany colors.**

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><p><strong>~The Next Day, Konohagakure~<strong>

For as long as she could remember, Yukikisu Suzushi had always been interested in the uniqueness of flowers. There was nothing more fascinating to her than a garden full of them. In her mind, each of them had its own individual story. Each seed had made its own journey to the point it was at right now, as well as all the other different "races" of flowers. She never took a detail for granted and never failed to find a new one in this particular shop.

A blonde woman walked by her, but came back and stopped to take a look at what she was up to. The woman was a tall, slim and curvaceous, probably in her 30's. Her face had every sign of youthfulness that a teenager's would, and her golden hair was majestic and elegant. The hair was tied in a ponytail and hung down past her right eye. The woman wore plenty of purple, and had a leaf village headband wrapped around her narrow waist, sitting comfortably on top of some wide hips. This was the shop owner, Ino Yamanaka.

Yukikisu failed to notice her, as she was fixed on examining the details. "Ahhh…those are some of my favorites…" The woman said with a smile. She was holding a hefty bag of fertilizer, which she gently placed on the ground before kneeling down next to the girl. The two were looking at some purple flowers with blue accents all over them. "Absolutely breathtaking aren't they?" Ino asked giving the girl a warm smile.

"Yes indeed." Yukikisu responded, a little surprised. "...Where are they from?"

"They came all the way from the Land of Lightning…" Ino answered, lifting up a petal with her finger. "...it's quite a journeyman."

"…It's come so far...I wonder what it's story is…" The quite girl said, following Ino and gently touching the flower's petals as well.

Ino smiled at her, understanding where she was coming from. "…There's no telling where it's been honestly. But I'm sure glad to know that it's shared it's beauty with so many people." She said, getting up from her crouching position and grabbing the bag of dirt.

Yukikisu watched the woman walk away. She smiled at those words.

Afterward, she walked home alone. The walk was quite a distance, and she had plenty of time to be one with her own thoughts. Yukikisu didn't care much for conversation; however she was always open to some company at least. Unfortunately there was no one around that she could walk with, so she had to solder on by herself. She owned a small house by herself near the outskirts of town.

As she walked she sensed a small amount of Chakra heading her way at a high speed. Luckily, it wasn't a threatening Chakra at all.

Akamato, the little white Ninja dog had ran between her legs and had stopped to sniff her. Yukikisu had seen the dog before, as it had belonged to her new teammate, Kouki Inuzuka. She giggled at the sight, and soon spotted Kouki tagging along behind her. He was out of breath and let his arms rest on his bent knees as he took deep inhales and exhales. "Oh…now…I see….where…you were running to…Akamato." He said in-between huffs.

He picked up his companion and carried him. "Don't go running off like that again! You had me gassed!" He shouted, poking the dog's nose. Kouki turned to Yukikisu, his forehead sweating. He wiped it off with his coat arm, "Hey I'm sorry about that…are you alright?" He asked, making an embarrassed smile.

"Believe me its fine." She said, sending him a reassuring smile, showing the boy that she wasn't angry at him. Kouki could tell that she had no predisposed judgment at that point. He had to talk to her.

"You're in my squad right? I might be mistaken." He asked.

She took a sigh, surely the boy's memory of the three other Gennin in his squad wasn't that bad, just him trying to start conversation. "Yes I am, although I'm afraid I might've have forgotten your name." Yukikisu asked with a chuckle.

Kouki paused for a moment, with some speechlessness. "Oh uhhhh…Kouki Inuzuka! Nice to meet you." He held out his paw-like hand.

Yukikisu shook it. "Yukikisu Suzushi." She responded.

Kouki petted his dog's head like a mother would her own child. Yukikisu noticed the care and fragility of each stroke; she was already examining his every move without him knowing it.

After some visual observation of each other, Kouki decided to break the silence first. "…I hope I'm not interrupting your evening or something, I guess I'll see-"

"Oh I was just heading home…" She said with a smile, "…Would you like to walk me there?"

Kouki's mouth opened slightly in surprise, "I guess I could spare some time." He responded, secretly jumping back flips of joy in the recesses of his mind.

* * *

><p>"So…the Inuzuka clan loves their dogs, huh?" Yukikisu asked in her signature soft angelic voice.<p>

The two had been walking for a considerable amount of time now, but between them it felt like they had just met each other. The large crowds of people didn't seem to faze them; it was like no one else existed.

"We sure do! They're not only our favorite pets…" He said; massage the soft head of his furry companion. "…they're vital to our clan's survival as well. We need them for battle...and they help us max out our full potential."

Yukikisu was fascinated, "I've always known that clans used some animals on missions, but I never knew that they were actually essential to their success. That's really amazing." She said, smiling.

Kouki grinned widely, "It is amazing! Me and my buddy here are gonna be some ass-kicking shinobi after this weekend." Akamato lay sleeping in his arms. "We make a pretty fierce team. Just like our dads! I think we could be even better."

"I'm rooting for the both of you. But hey, Kouki..?" She said, now focusing on the path instead of her new teammate.

"Yeah?" Kouki asked.

"…You seem like such a great guy…Why do all of the other kids in the academy hate you?" She asked, "…They call you a jerk and a bully. I always used to see you either picking on somebody back then or trying to act all macho. Right now though, it's like you're a completely different person…"

The Inuzuka clansmen paused for a second. He thought about her questions for a second. There actually had never been a reason for Kouki to act this way. No one had ever given him a reason to beat them up, and frankly, he never truly enjoyed bullying smaller kids either. It was quite a strange concept for him to figure out. "Well..." He said, scratching his stomach. "I don't know why I do it… I just do."

Yukikisu raised an eyebrow at him, "…You just do? So…does that mean you do it without thinking?" She asked, slightly frowning.

"...Possibly…I don't really even like doing it. It's just something that's easy for me…"

Yukikisu listened to him.

"Ever since I was a youngster, I was always bigger than the other kids…Mix that with the red-hot temper I have…and I guess you got yourself a big fat bully."

"So it's all instinct?"

"I don't know. My father had quite a temper himself at my age, but he and my big bro always tell me to be an observer of my emotions…not a reactor." Kouki responded, his head slowly working its way to the ground. "I react so quick to my urges and I never think twice...it's stupid."

"Well if you know it's not a part of the real you…why're you entertaining it? You seem like an amazing guy, why can't everyone see it?"

The boy with the painted fangs on his face shook his head. "…It's too late for that. People already know who I am and what I do. I get all kinds of things though, heh. Lunch money, new sandals, and even ninja tools from heckling one of the upcoming academy students." He said with a laugh.

Yukikisu shook her head slowly in disapproval. "None of that stuff is worth the cost of a person's emotions towards you. "

Kouki took a deep sigh. "Yeah…yeah…my brother tells me all the time about stuff like that. But I don't wanna hear that crap. It's a dog eat dog world…only the strong survive, especially as shinobi."

The girl nodded in consideration. "That's true…but kindness goes a long way…what does your brother do anyway?" She asked.

Kouki scoffed and rolled his eyes. "He's a big shot ANBU dude." He said sarcastically. "I barely see the guy. What would he know about my mentality in the first place?"

The girl shrugged, and smiled at him. "You know that he's probably seen a lot…maybe you could learn something from him." She said. "I don't think you're as bad as people say you are, Kouki. I think you're special."

Kouki blushed at her, he was speechless.

They had arrived at Yukikisu's home by sunset. The dark orange light was shrouding the village at this point, and pretty much everyone was preparing to end their day of work. Kouki knew he had to get home, but felt like it was his duty to get Yukikisu home safely. The little house was old and warn down, but still obviously tolerable. It was covered by a gate just as beat up as it was.

Yukikisu opened the gate with a slight force and walked inside. Kouki, still holding Akamato in his arms, stood on the outside, watching her walk along a stone path to her front porch. "Thank you for your company…" She said stopping and turning around.

Kouki, still at a loss for words, just nodded with a smile. Yukikisu smiled back at him, and turned and walked towards him. This freaked him out slightly, but he kept his composure, not trying to show any weakness. His pride kept him from stumbling.

She wrapped her arms around him and his dog. Her grip was tight and she rested her head on his chest. Warmth filled Kouki's body. "…It was really nice talking to you Kouki…"

He uttered out a soft, "You too…" and smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>~Hyuga Residence~<strong>

Loud slaps and thuds could be heard from even the outside the quiet compounds at the storied Hyuga estate.

Deep inside the quarters of the main branch building, two considerable chakra vessels clashed back and forth. One of these people was Kiyo Hyuga, whose hair was tied into a ponytail behind him. He stood in a stance, one that only a user of the legendary "Gentle fist" could stand in. The other was another Hyuga, dressed in all white robes. Her hair was a violet color, and as silky as could be. She was the head of the Hyuga clan, Hinata Hyuga.

Kiyo's body was glistening with sweat, and his whole shirt was dark and soaking wet. He dropped to one knee, completely drained of energy. Huffing and puffing, he could see his vision getting blurry and his lips turned white with dryness. His feet trembled, and his knees were weak. His arms felt like ramen noodles, and the migraine he had in his head was only getting worse.

Hinata stood over him with her arms folded. "First shinobi rule…Never let your guard down..!"

She kicked him directly in his jaw as he tried to catch his breath.

Kiyo groaned in pain as he slid over the waxed ground of the training room floor. His back skid across it, nearly ripping his shirt from the friction. Nonetheless, he got back to his feet, wiping the small amount of red blood from his bottom lip.

"Are you just going to stand there..?" Hinata said, her face as serious as stone. "…Come." She motioned for him to come at her.

In a flash, the son of Neji dashed at her, swerving left to right in attempts of creating an optical illusion. He launched an open palm at his aunt's face from the left side of her. Quickly, Hinata was able to grab the arm. "...I'm afraid you'll have to be a little quicker than that…I didn't even need the Byakugan for that one."

She tugged on his wrist, pulling his whole body directly in front of her line of vision. While Kiyo hung in mid-air, she spun around, making his body slowly begin to coil around hers, and delivered a devastating backwards elbow to the stomach. Kiyo gasped for air before he was flung across the room.

The boy was able to catch himself, and charged right back at the skilled Kunoichi. He threw palm after palm at her, which she narrowly dodged respectively. At one point, she slapped both of Kiyo's palms downward, putting the boy in a position where his body weight was falling forward into Hinata's body.

She quickly crouched down, took a step into an incapacitated Kiyo, and shot both of her open palms into the air, but not without meeting Kiyo's chin on the way up. The upper cut jolted Kiyo's head backwards, resulting in him taking two unbalanced steps back before falling on his back. He laid there on the ground in pain, the same familiar place he'd been introduced to since the day he met Genma Shiranui.

"You're almost there…just keep fighting with all you've got Kiyo." Hinata said. "…You'll reach your full potential in no time. I'm impressed."

Kiyo picked himself off and cracked his neck. "Yes ma'am!" He said without hesitation, charging at the woman once more.

**~Every Dog will have its day. The Konoha Gennin wait diligently for their own. ~**


	10. Chapter 9: Notice Me

**A/N:** Greetings_ to the small community of readers I may have lol. I wanted to ask if you guys could review after reading a chapter or comment. It's the least you could do for me. I don't want to be writing a story that no one is reading lmao so if you have ANYTHING to say about it just drop a comment in the box! Thanks you guys and enjoy the next chapter of Band of Shinobi._

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 9: <strong>**Notice Me**

**Chapter Illustration: ****Naruto sits at a shack in the middle of nowhere. Around his table are cowboys and other raggedy looking men, who stare in amazement about what he is showing them. Gamatatsu sits across Naruto's table drinking some soup. In Naruto's hand, he holds a Rasengan. He teaches them the basics of Chakra with a smile on his face.**

* * *

><p><strong>~The Next Day, Konohagakure~<strong>

Choji Akimichi walked proudly, his face holding the ultimate smug grin.

It was in the early morning, so the village streets were mostly unoccupied. This was the best time of the day for Choji, as he didn't have to meet and greet every single one of his fans in the whole village. However, for the shop owners and people who were awake at this time of day, he'd say hello to them with his gallant smile.

This morning, he approached the Yamanaka family shop, upon spotted Ino sweeping inside through the window. His powerful fist knocked on the door, immediately attracting her attention.

The blonde looked up quickly, and smiled. The store was not yet open, but she unlocked the door for him. The two old friends embraced each other; Choji even picked her up off her feet, "How have you been?" He said, twirling her around. The two engaged in conversation after taking a seat at a table.

A few feet away, a tumble weed sat on the side of the road across from the Yamanaka shop. Chosamu, draped in twigs, had disguised himself. He watched as the two famous shinobi joked back and forth and shared a laugh or two. He pouted from under the cover.

"C'mon, I don't want to wait all day for you…" He said to himself, waiting as patiently as possible. "...I'm getting hungry."

After a few minutes, Choji left the store and began to walk on his regular path again. Chosamu quickly followed him, hiding behind each and every ledge he saw. His branches rustled, and crashed each time he slammed his back on a cover surface. He started to breath heavily, due to the fact that he was completely out of shape. Nonetheless, Choji continued to walk on. His pace was exhausting Chosamu at this point.

"_Note to self: Stealth missions are not your strong suit, Chosamu." _He thought, panting.

Choji sighed, now outpacing Chosamu by a considerable distance. _"Kid's still following me, eh?" _He thought, his sweat dropping. The man had long noticed the young boy tailing him. _"Sheesh…Akimichi don't do stealth missions…everyone knows that one." _He smirked for a second, and made a quick turn to the right down a narrow corner. All Chosamu could see was his flashing, orange lion-mane hair swirling around the walls.

"Fuck!" He grunted under his voice. He dashed around the corner after the clan leader.

Upon turning the corner, Chosamu was shocked to find that there was no one to be found in a small alleyway. He started to sweat under the tumble weed cover. "Where'd he go? I could've sworn he-".

A strong grip fell on his shoulder. He could feel the strength of each individual figure relaxing on his body. Chosamu's heart nearly stopped, and he jolted up. He knew he was officially fucked. Chosamu slowly turned his head. Sure enough, a smiling Choji stood over him.

Choji was well over six feet tall, and his body was almost the complete opposite of what it had been at Chosamu's age. The shadow of his body covered the young clansmen completely. His muscles were almost bulging out of his armored suit, and his hair blocked the sun from Chomasu's view. He swallowed the saliva building in his mouth.

"You know...spying is frowned upon in this village, Akimichi Chosamu." Choji's loud, boisterous voice bellowed. He tried to make the best stern face he could possibly make at the young clansmen.

Chosamu looked back at him, but quickly smacked his beefy hand away. The chubby boy jumped away from the man, creating a considerable space between the two. "I don't care sir!" He shouted, pounding his fist together. "I won't be ignored by you any longer!"

Choji seemed to be amused by the young boy. He scratched his long-flowing hair and raised an eyebrow. "…What's that supposed to mean, young Chosamu?" He said. "You will not listen?"

"I want you to acknowledge me! I'm going to be the next great Akimichi clan leader, but first I gotta show you what I got!" Chosamu said, getting into a stance. "Spar with me! Right here, right now!"

The large man rolled his eyes. "Young Chosamu…" He said. "I'm afraid you had already succeeded at the acknowledgement part at least 20 minutes ago. Seriously speaking, a tumble weed, in the middle of the leaf village?"

Chosamu bowed his head in disappointment, "So…you knew I was following you this whole time?"

Choji laughed heartily, gripping his belly. He took one loud smack on his thigh, "Yes that's right! You're definitely Chohohei's son! I remember when I first met him; he was just as clumsy as you are!"

The young Akimichi pouted, but soon quickly place his guard back up as he observed the giant man walking towards him. Choji's big paw settled on top of his head with a very subtle force. The man rustled through his orange hair. "…I can see the fire in your eyes young one…" He bellowed, with a big smile on his face.

Chosamu looked up at him in amazement.

"…You have caught my attention now…I will continue to watch your development. I am sure you'll become a splendid Shinobi…"

"Y…you'll be watching me?" Chosamu repeated, trying to take in as much of the surreal moment as possible.

"…It took me a long way to get to where I'm at today, young Chosamu..." Choji said, now looking beyond the boy, to the sunlight at the end of the alleyway. "I've taken my share of failures, beatings, and humiliation. I witnessed the death of one of my best friends, and many others during my career. But one thing I realized as I grew was that…" The man kneeled down, getting to even level with Chosamu.

"...You must love yourself…and you must love your village. Nothing else matters…not even the acknowledgment of one man."

Chosamu's mouth hung open as his legs started to grow numb, he was a statue.

"I'd gladly die for you young Chosamu…I expect to one day hear the same from you." The large man walked off, same smug grin on his face, beginning to hum a tune.

Chosamu continued to keep hearing the Choji's words in his conscious over and over. He stood alone.

_"...Die for me..? Whoa..."_

* * *

><p><strong>~Elsewhere in Konoha~ <strong>

Tears rolled down Kazumi's cheeks. Her face was puffy and red and her eyes glistened like jewels. Soft sniffs and whimpers could be heard as small tear drops fell and disintegrated on the floor of the sidewalk. The girl used her forearm to wipe her wet cheeks, and the snot from her nose.

"I don't think this is a good idea at all Sachio…I wonder what happened to her."

Akio and Sachio stood a few feet away from the bench where the daughter of Rock Lee sat in tears. The two boys peeked at her from around a ledge.

"Yea…it's pretty fucking sad-looking." Sachio responded, scratching his hair. "But dude..! This is like the perfectist scenario ever!"

"_Perfectist..?" _Akio thought, with a straight face. He looked at him, quite puzzled. "…Explain Sachio…"

Sachio rolled his eyes. "Well psh!" He started, waving his arms. "Bro! All you gotta do is go over there, ask her why she's crying, tell her she's beautiful, and she's gonna be all over you in no time!" The boy showed his friend a thumbs up with a wink. "Knight in shining...uh..." He looked at Akio's sandals on his feet. "Sandals!"

Akio sighed, still not understanding his logic. "Ugh…I guess you're right…."

"Heck yeah I'm right, man! My old man reads Jiraiya novels all day long bro. Now say this, 'I'm a big dog'." Sachio said grabbing Akio by the shoulders.

"I'm a big dog?" The blue-haired boy repeated in complete confusion.

"Yeah man, motivation time…" He said, pumping his fist. "Now say it! 'I'm a big dog'."

Akio was hesitant but quickly was able to swallow his pride. "Ok…I'm a big dog!"

"Say 'I'm a sexy beast!'"

"Umm...I'm a sexy beast!"

"My sexiness moves mountains!"

"M...my Sexiness moves mountains!"

"Not even the fourth could seal this sexy fox!"

"Not even the fourth could seal this sexy fox!" Akio shouted, getting more and more into it.

"Now you're gonna march your sexy ass over there and show Kazumi who's boss!" Sachio shouted, sticking his hand up for a high five.

Akio slapped his friend's hand, filled with a new enthusiasm. "Hell yeah! I'm ready!" He said, pumping his fist again. Sachio nodded in approval.

Akio swiftly turned the corner of the wall, and headed down towards the bench. He tried his best to look as smooth as possible. He stuck his hands in his pockets, and walked with a cheesy strut in his step. He also whistled a tune, trying not to make any eye contact with Kazumi. She didn't even notice him approaching.

Akio observed this quickly, and decided that the best way to clean this situation up is by also acting like he didn't notice the crying girl. He slowly walked past her, opening only one of his eyes slightly to see if she was looking up at him. Kazumi held her head in her hands, still sobbing miserably.

"_Crap…no turning back now!"_ Akio thought, turning back in her direction.

Sachio watched from behind the corner, just as nervous as Akio was. The blue-haired boy took a deep sigh and wiggled his head to both sides, cracking his neck. "Hey Kazumi!" He blurted out with a nervous smile on his face. He stuck his hand up and waved at her. "How ya doin?!"

Kazumi slowly raised her head at him. All Akio could see was snot and wetness all over the poor girl's face. The boy cringed at the grotesque sight. _"Oh god almighty." _He thought, disgusted.

The girl whipped out a cloth from her bag, and blew her nose. "Oh…my…gosh…" She said in between sniffles. "I'm so sorry you have to see me like this Kiyo…"

Akio sighed, slightly disappointed. "Uh…It's Akio…and what's the matter, Kazumi?" He asked, sitting down next to her. It took her a while to blow her nose, she kept sniffling and blowing continuously, which was seriously grossing Akio out big time. However, the boy knew that he'd do anything for his love.

"It's…nothing…just some…relationship issues…" She whimpered between blows.

The weight of the world immediately fell on Akio's head. His heart came to a jolting stop, and seemed to just sit in his chest. His head slowly dropped, with a slow bounce at the end of his neck. He blew out of his mouth in frustration. He wanted to scream. His true love was already in a relationship. Suddenly however, he realized that he should first figure why she was crying in the first place. Maybe it was a breakup that needed some rebounding by him.

"Relationship issues..? What'd your boyfriend do?" He asked.

Kazumi wiped her eyes, "Well…it's not really my boyfriend…" She said.

_"Phew! That was a close one...you still got a chance Akio..." _The boy with glasses continued.

"...but it's this guy I have a major crush on..." Kazumi continued, still distraught.

_"Shit." _Akio dealt with some more pain, but he brushed it off. "What did he do to you..?" He asked.

Kazumi immediately burst into tears again, letting out a loud cry at the top of her lungs. Akio, and the undercover Sachio alike, both covered their ears to block out the sound. "I'm such a fucking idiot! I made a complete loser out of myself in front of Osamu Uchiha!" She shouted, throwing her head back into her hands once more.

"Osamu…Uchiha?" Akio repeated trying to understand what was going on. "..Well what happe-"

"We were having the most wonderful date ever! He took me all across Konoha and swept me off my feet! But then, that bitch Hanae had to come a screw it all up! This was future marriage, Osamu was mine!" She ranted. Akio raised an eyebrow.

"_Gosh…what a crazy witch. That couldn't be me..." _ Sachio thought, peeking from behind the wall.

"Err…well…it's not like he's your pet or anything…it's not like you can force him to like you…" Akio said, sweating.

Kazumi turned to him fiercely, "But he _did_ like me! He was giving me the eye and everything!" She shouted. "But I wouldn't expect you to know anything about that kind of stuff!"

He paused, "...Hey…What's that supposed to mean?" Akio said, clenching his teeth.

"Well, excuse me, but I don't think I've ever seen you talk to a girl before, Kiyo."

Akio smacked his forehead in slight agitation. "It's Ak-…never mind. But I'll have you know my dear that I most definitely know plenty about love!"

Kazumi rolled her eyes, "…Like what..? Hentai is only like, 2 ryo or something at the store…" She muttered under her breath.

"Hey stop it! I'm not some creep!" Akio blurted back at her, "…I may not know about being with a girl, but I sure can tell when I'm looking right at who I love…"

Kazumi looked at him. Akio was staring her right in the eyes. "…Don't worry about that jerk anymore…It would be impossible for someone not to be in love with you. You're the shiniest kunai in the toolbox in my eyes."

Kazumi's face turned straight, and her crying ceased. "Uh..."

"…I've been so afraid to tell you this but…Kazumi Haruno…I think, No I know, I'm in love with you." He said, using all of his effort.

The time paused as they looked into each other's eyes. Kazumi scrunched her face and bit her lip slightly, "Uhh…seriously..?" She asked, kind of backing away from him.

"Yes…I've never been so sure of anything before in my life." Akio said, blushing. He gripped her thigh, and leaned in for a kiss.

Suddenly, Kazumi started to burst into tears again. She propped her head into her hands once more and sobbed again. "This is so embarrassing!" She wept, shaking her head.

"What..? What's embarrassing?"

The girl stood up, tears still rolling down her face. "Am I that gross? The burning flames of my youth were alive with Osamu Uchiha…but is this what I've be degraded to?!" She shouted at Akio.

Sachio stood behind the wall and watched in disbelief as to what he was seeing.

"…Degraded…Kazu-"

"No! Can't you see I'm going to a hard time right now!? Why would you come over here to insult me like this!?" She shouted.

Akio furrowed his eyebrows, "Insult you?! Heavens, how?!" He shouted back standing up to her level, hands opened up, submissively trying to plead with the girl.

"…Listen Kiyo…Ako…Akoey…whatever the heck your name is! Just because we're teammates doesn't mean you're obligated to get all friendly like this ok?! Haven't you ever heard of personal space?!"

"But I'm sincere! I promise you that there's-"

"You're a nerd!"

Akio paused, and dropped his hands to his sides. He was staring into the face of an angry girl, who looked deep into his soul with nothing more than malice and bitterness. Akio couldn't speak, his mouth felt dry. His armpits started to sweat. He was completely devastated.

Sachio's mouth hung to the floor, knowing that his friend was crushed. _"...Dude..."_

"…Nerd…?" Akio said, hanging his head down, nearly on the verge of tears.

"…I'm sorry but…why would a girl like me get with a guy like…um…you..?" Kazumi said, starting to turn away from him. "…I guess I'll see you around or something…"

The girl left him there.

Tears rolled down his face, and he started to quiver. Sachio slowly emerged from the corner and walked to his friend. He put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey man. She's a jerk anyway you don't –"

His hand was smacked away. "Your plan didn't work..." The blue-haired boy said, wiping his tears.

Akio walked away in silence, leaving Sachio at the lone bench.

* * *

><p><strong>~That Night, Konohagakure~<strong>

Nightfall had long fallen over Konohagakure and the whole village slept.

All one could hear was the monotonous hoots of the night owl. Insects flew through the dark cloak of night, chirping along the way, fusing their individual sounds to make one unified song. It seemed much more peaceful than the day time.

One lone person, Wataru, wandered aimlessly on the village streets. He held his stomach desperately, his face showed signs of severe pain.

"Fuck…" He said to himself. "…I was hoping that I could at least fall asleep before I got hungry tonight..."

His stomach growled and moaned, with each one, Wataru clutched it harder. He had gone almost a full two days without eating not even a sliver of food. He came to a stop at a house, noticing the gate to the backyard was left open.

"_Jackpot! Wataru it must be your lucky day, buddy boy!" _He thought to himself, a big smile showing across his face. He quickly dashed around the opened gate, which lead to a pile of trash cans. Wataru slowed to a stop at the sight of them, and rubbed his chin.

"_Hmmm…dumpster diving night eh? A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do…" _ He thought, scratching his hair. With barely any hesitation, Wataru jumped into the large trash bin, throwing out chunks of garbage, from banana peels to newspapers.

Within an hour, he had gone through all of the trash bins that were sitting in the backyard of the house. The only thing he could find was a fish-bone, which he threw down the street in frustration. He cocked his leg and kicked the trash over, resulting in a loud clanging sound. All of the containers fell over, letting all of the trash spill. "…I fucking hate this…" He said under his breath, slightly calming down.

Wataru was shocked to see a light from the inside of the house flash on. A voice groaned from the home. "Who's there?!" It shouted. The boy could hear the shuffling of feet and the banging of knocked over furniture. The person was coming after him right away.

"Oh no…" Wataru said to himself, immediately starting to high tail it out of the backyard. He tumbled over top of the cans, but was quickly able to recover and run. The fall had slowed him down and he knew it.

He turned the edge and ran past the open gate; nothing had ever scared him so much in his life. After many years of dumpster diving and stealing, not once had he been caught or even chased. He was afraid of the consequences. Wataru turned his head behind him to see a figure not too far behind. The darkness shaded the man's identity, but he still knew that this wasn't any nice guy.

Suddenly, his leg stepped on a circular moving lump on the ground. The made the small object roll quickly, resulting in Wataru tripping on it. He managed to avoid falling to the ground, and was able to catch his balance. Before the boy could even know what the object was, it exploded. A bright flash of light temporarily blinded Wataru. He covered his eyes.

"_Wha…what the hell is this?" _He thought, rubbing his eyes. The light continued to shine in his face.

It wasn't long before the blinded Gennin realized that he was stuck, his body was immobilized. The only thing he could do was keep his eyelids closed from the flashing light.

"There's nothing I hate more than troublesome people…" The home owner said, holding a hand seal up. Wataru still couldn't see who it was. "People like that get caught in my _Kagemane No Jutsu_."

The young shinobi continued to try and wiggle his way out of the Jutsu, not knowing that his whole body had belonged to the mystery man now. Wataru started to panic. _"Shit...I gotta get outta here!"_

"Look kid…there's nothing you can do to escape it…its futile." The voice said.

"Hey I'm sorry man! Let me go!" Wataru shouted, eyes still shut.

"…What's your name kid?"

"No! Please don't report me! I can't go to jail! I just graduated! I'll never ever steal again, Never!" Wataru pleaded desperately.

"Hmph...Doubt It..."

"No I'm serious! I won't do it!"

"...Tell me your name."

"Wataru!"

"Do you know who I am?"

"I can't fucking see, so I have no idea!"

The light from the trap had finally subsided and let the shadows of darkness once again creep through. The shadows wore off, releasing the boy. However he still kept his eyes shut.

"You can open your eyes now." The man said, hands on his hips.

With a gentle rub of each eyelid, Wataru looked up and saw a man with brown hair. He immediately knew who he was. "…Captain Nara Shikamaru..?" He mumbled under his breath, in sheer awe of the man who stood before him. Shikamaru greeted him with a smirk.

"That's me…and you're Wataru…" He said, hands in his pockets.

"How do you know about me?" Wataru asked, flattered.

"You told me your name… and you tried to rob me as well." Shikamaru said, folding his arms now giving off a stern look.

Wataru bowed his head, "…I'm sorry sir…it's just that I haven't eaten for a few days…I was-"

"What's your last name kid?"

He looked at the floor, shrugging in shame. "…I have no idea…I go by my first name only..."

Shikamaru observed him, and scratched his head. "Ahh…and Orphan I see. There's a boy's home here in-"

"No way! I'm never going back there..." Wataru shouted, stomping his foot on the ground. "…Those kids don't want to be shinobi like I do! I can survive on my own anyway…"

Shikamaru chuckled, "…Well I'll tell you what kid, diving through someone's trash and trespassing on their own personal property will only get you in one of three places: The hospital, jail, or the afterlife."

Wataru nodded at him. "You're right sir...I apologize. It won't happen again."

"In all honesty…I'm actually kind of glad you decided to pull that crap tonight kid…" The Nara clansmen continued, with a smile.

Wataru raised his eyebrows, "…Uh…you are?"

"Yep…I needed some competition tonight anyway…you play Shogi?" Shikamaru asked turning and walking back in the direction of his home. He motioned for the young boy to follow him.

Wataru smiled, knowing that he at least had somewhere to sleep. "Yea…but I'm not very good at it…you got any food?" He tagged along next to Shikamaru.

"Plenty."

**~The Gennin Exam creeps closer and closer. Their experiences prepare the Shinobi for any challenge! ~**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Kagemane No Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique):<em>**

The Shadow Imitation Technique allows the user to extend their shadow on any surface (even water) and as far as they want as long as there is a sufficient area

Class: Ninjutsu  
>Type: B<br>Nature: None


	11. Chapter 10: The Gennin Exam

**Chapter 10: ****The Gennin Exam**

**Chapter Illustration: ****Shikamaru rubs his chin, carefully planning his next move in a match of Shogi. Wataru smiles back at him, knowing that he's got the Jonin beat.**

* * *

><p><strong>~Seven Days after the Meetings, Konohagakure~<strong>

"Yugao-Sensei…Why'd you call me out here so early..?"

A drowsy Hideharu Gekko rubbed his eye. A little bit of drool hung from his mouth, and flakes of crust were stuck to the sides his eyes. He took a long yawn, and patted on his mouth.

It was early Sunday morning. So early as a matter of a fact, that the sun hadn't even arisen. The air was muggy and damp, and the grass was covered in wet dew. Morning bugs floated in the air, whizzing by Hideharu who was on the verge of falling asleep standing up. Across from him was Yugao Uzuki, folding her arms.

"Hideharu Gekko…you're Gennin Exam begins now!" She shouted.

Hideharu jolted into alertness, his heart started to pound fast. "What!?" He shouted in horror.

"You heard me, didn't you? Prepare yourself!" Yugao said, slowly unleashing a slim katana from its sheath on her back. The sight of the blade made Hideharu's eyes grow extremely wide as the fear started to kick in.

"B-but…Sensei I wasn't rea-"

"A shinobi must always be prepared for battle…even at the most inopportune of times!" His teacher responded, jumping high into the air.

Hideharu looked up into the sky; she had seemed to disappear into the clouds. He started to focus on the dim morning air. He had brought his full body armor but had decided not to put it on until he knew what Yugao had brought him for. The steel sat at his side, but instead of reaching for it, he grabbed his sheath instead.

He held his weapon out in front of his face, and focused. Closing his eyes, the young samurai could hear each and every little sensation that touched his eardrum. Hideharu differentiated each individual cricket, bird, or fly in the air. The blowing wind could also be heard. The vibrations from each sound started to become visions through his closed eyes. A figure appeared from behind, the winds were picking up at a rapid rate. _"I see you..!" _

Two Swords clashed, piercing the tranquility of the morning. Yugao used three back-flips to clear the distance between her and her new student. At her surprise, Hideharu's blade had been drawn. A few feet away her blade stood, lodged in the grassy ground. He had stopped her attack.

"…_It can't be…" _The purple-haired Jonin thought, flabbergasted. _"…what talent…"_

She took a good look at Hideharu's blade. The blade was regular size in length, and thin. However, one distinct feature made the blade special. The cutting side was scored from top to bottom in small triangular ridges. That's how he was able to knock Yugao's katana out from her hands. Hideharu's blade seemed to be crafted with the intention of not only being one of the sharpest blades around, but also incorporated blunt force into it as well.

"…_I'm impressed…those dents in his blade have the capability to pull and tug...that's what made me lose grip on my Katana..."_

The young samurai settled into his stance, shifting the blade in a wavy motion. His face wasn't even wavering anymore, he knew he could go toe to toe with Yugao. The kunoichi walked over to where her blade was, and pulled it out of the dirt. She smirked, and charged at him, gripping her katana with force. The blade was swung upward, in which Hideharu was able to block easily.

However, Hideharu's eyes widened when he realized the two blades only clashed for less than two seconds. Out the corner of his eye, he could see a thin gray image coming into view, straight at his face. He dodged the attack by spinning on his foot. The sharp edge managed to whiff only millimeters past his cheek. He countered with a kick, that pushed the former ANBU back sightly but delivered no real damage.

_"After-imaging huh?"_ He thought, slightly tired. _"I gotta watch out for it."_

Yugao was enjoying the match, she was highly satisfied with this young specimen of hers. _"...He's holding back because I'm his teacher...maybe I should crank this up a notch or two." _

Sensing his teacher's new intentions, Hideharu charged at the woman in a flash. He jumped into the air and twisted, sweeping his ridge-bladed katana after him. Right in front of Yugao's feet, the samurai boy cut the grass on the ground. The wind from his twirl and the fresh cut blades of grass mixed to cover the air in green. Hideharu quickly shut his eyes, and began to focus on the wind that had picked up during his attack.

Yugao raised an eyebrow, he had gone through the motions so quickly, almost at a light speed.

Hideharu could see the blades of green floating in the air, all around Yugao. He started to slash each grass blade in half at a light speed, through the frozen Yugao. The sword sliced through her flesh like a knife and tender meat. His accuracy was impeccable, not even missing one tiny piece of grass in the wind. The body of the kunoichi flew into the air, cut into shreds. As soon as she hit the ground, a puff of smoke puffed into the air. As the smoke cleared, Hideharu spotted a tree stump laying in the spot.

_"I knew she wouldn't go down that easy." _He thought, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

A clapping came from behind him. Yugao approached him, clapping her hands in delight. "I must say I'm highly impressed..." She said, with a smile under her nose.

Hideharu said nothing.

"I'm just waiting for your best...I've seen enough battle to know when someone's holding back." Yugao continued. "I care very little for what you learned under the Samurai discipline...teacher or not, fight me like you intend to kill me Hideharu Gekko." She made a hand seal.

The student gulped, readying his stance once again, nervously.

* * *

><p><strong>~Elsewhere in Konoha~<strong>

Mai, Takane, Ryoji, and Kiyo sat at a brick stone next to a wooden sign. The location sat at the outskirts of the village, at a point where the leaf village ended. Outside of it were long dirt trails, which lead to the rest of the ninja world. The Kunoichi held a small sheet of paper showing the group where to meet at five o'clock am that morning. It was signed by Genma Shiranui.

"Hey guys…" Kiyo said, looking into the great beyond of the trails. "…My aunt said this is the same place where the great sage departed on his journey."

The rest of the group members didn't even look up to acknowledge the statement. Mai's sleepy eyes were fixed on the small details of the sheet. Takane struggled to keep himself awake, his head dropping and popping up again continuously. Ryoji however, was flat out asleep.

Takane rubbed his eyes, "I wonder what he's gonna make us do…" He said, drowsily.

Kiyo shrugged, "Meh…my mother said she had to do something with bells, same as my aunt. She said it's always going to be something involving teamwork."

"So if we work together, we'll all be ok?" Takane asked, scratching his hair through his hat.

Mai stood up, and took a long stretch. "…Genma-sensei should be here at any second…we gotta be ready for anything that could possibly happen." She went over to Ryoji, who was now drooling. With one swift smack on the face, he bolted to consciousness.

"Wake up idiot…it's almost 5:00." She said.

Ryoji looked around. "He's still not here?" He asked, eyes low. "…I hate waiting for this asshole all the time."

A poof of smoke appeared from behind him. A hand emerged and rustled Ryoji's hair. The boy's face went completely straight, "Not again…" He said.

Genma smiled at him, "…It seems like I need to buy you some toilet paper for your mouth's diarrhea, kid." The kids turned their attention to him as he stood in the center of the four.

"Glad to see that all of you made it here on time. Now we can head out." The jonin said with his signature smile. He turned towards the path and started to walk along, motioning for his pupils to follow him.

"Where are we even going!?" Ryoji shouted, not budging one bit. His teammates didn't move either.

Genma turned back to face them, "I'm taking you to where your exam will begin of course…follow me."

* * *

><p>The five Konoha shinobi walked down the path for about an hour. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, and the birds were chirping in the background. The dirt trail seemed endless, especially for Ryoji, and the four Gennin were starting to become weak in the legs and exhausted from simple walking. Genma was unfazed and even whistled a tune.<p>

"_Ugh…how long could we possibly walk…" _Takane thought, adjusting his Arabian hat.

Sooner or later, the group arrived at a large bridge, which stood over a pond. In the distance however, a giant mountain could be seen raising high into the air. Underneath it was a large plot of land, filled with trees. Genma stopped at the foot of the bridge. "Our destination…is there." He said, pointing to the huge mountain.

The students stared at it in disbelief, mouths wide open. "…Whoa…we're gonna climb it, Sensei?" Kiyo asked with his sweat dropping.

"Technically…But not really…" Genma said with a chuckle. "That forest will be your first stop. It may seem small from this distance, but you'll soon found out that not everything is what it seems."

Mai grew tired of waiting, "So what's our job, sensei?"

"The four of you must make it to the top of that mountain before nightfall. Right now it is six in the morning, so you've basically got the whole day to reach the checkpoint."

"Checkpoint?" Takane repeated, confused.

"Yes…I will be waiting for you at a small hut on the top. I found the place myself." Genma answered. "…Anyway, in order to make it to the actual mountain range, you must get through the forest first." The man twirled his toothpick in his hand, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a brown scroll. "…This is a map…that should be enough of a guide for you to make it out of there."

Mai took the scroll from her sensei and put it into her pocket.

"Food shouldn't be too much of an issue since it's less than a twenty-four hour exam. You might need to use your ninja tools as well. Remember also…that the most important thing every shinobi must have on the job is chemistry among his teammates." Genma finished, sticking one finger in the air.

"Yessir." The Gennin nodded, and followed the Jonin down the path towards the mountain.

"Welp, this is it." Genma said, standing right in front of the darkness under the giant trees.

The forest trees rose extremely high into the sky, blocking any daylight from coming into it. The Gennin had to be ready for a long day of nighttime-like darkness. Each of them couldn't stop looking at the overwhelming sight. From observing the forest from the bridge way back, not one could've predicted that the trees would be that high.

"As I said before you guys have until nightfall…"

Mai stopped him, "But wait Genma-Sensei! The trees are blocking out the sunlight! How could we possibly know if its day or night?"

Genma let out a laugh, "I have no idea kid!" He shrugged, "That's up to you guys to figure out..!"

Ryoji clenched his fist, and jumped into the conversation, "What?! So how the heck are we gonna read the map? You set us up!" He shouted.

"Remember what I said…Teamwork is key…" Responded the jonin said, sticking his toothpick into his mouth. "Good luck, I have faith in you brats." The man soon disappeared into thin smoke leaving the four kids in utter confusion.

"Guys…" Kiyo said, quivering. "I have a terrible feeling about this…"

Takane bowed his head, and nodded it in agreement. "…So do I, Kiyo. He barely gave us any assistance…"

Ryoji wanted to agree and throw a fit, but it wasn't long before he remembered what Mai had told him on the rooftop. Hokages don't whine. He regained his composure and turned to the two boys. "…Teamwork is key…so in that case if we work together we can get through this in no time. How hard could it be anyway, some stupid grass and trees?"

"You might want to rethink that one Ryoji…" Mai said, a few feet apart from her teammates. She had already unrolled the brown scroll, a huge map plot flapping downward from the stem. "Look at this…"

The boys huddled around the Kunoichi and the giant map. They nearly dropped their jaws to the floor. The trail was completely jumbled by illustrations of everything from trees to animals to swamps and rivers. It was a mess, no normal person would be able to decipher it. Not only that, but it was also worn and had holes in it as well.

A feeling of depression fell over the group. "…We'll never make it in time…" Takane said, bowing his head.

**~Early Setbacks mean trouble for the aspiring Gennin. ~**

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note: <strong>__So this was a short chapter, but I did what I wanted to get done in it. I pray that you guys aren't confused with any of the characters, so I'll do a quick run through right now! If you want more in-depth character reviews about your favorite shinobi, please slide me a Review or PM and ill put it in the next child! Read and Review y'all._

_**Squad One (Genma Shiranui):**_

**Ryoji Kosumosu **(Main Character, Hot-headed, maroon colored hair)

**Kiyo Hyuga **(NejixTenten, Ryoji's best friend)

**Takane Mamoru **(Arabian hat-wearer, Ryoji and Kiyo's best friend)

**Mai Uzura **(Kunoichi of the group, Arrow wielder)

**_Squad Three (Kotetsu Hagane):_**

**Rock Kazumi Haruno- **_Kazumi is the daughter of Rock Lee and Sakura Haruno. She is obviously skilled in Taijutsu but also has great chakra control even though she barely uses other types of jutsu. Her name means "Beautiful harmony."She is crushing on Osamu Uchiha, and has a rivalry with Hanae Yamanaka._

**Sachio Hatake- **_The son of Kakashi Hatake and Ayame Ichiraku. He is a lazy, unmotivated shinobi. His best friend is his new teammate Akio Keisan. Sachio's name means "Auspicious boy" as he is destined for greatness like his father and grandfather were._

**Akio Keisan- **_Akio is an extremely intelligent kid. He has blue hair and wears glasses that keep falling off. He has a huge crush on Kazumi Haruno, and is best friends with Sachio Hatake. Other shinobi see him as a nerd. His name means, "Bright man" and Keisan means "Calculate." He was given these names for his obvious intellectual capabilities. _

**Shizu Aburame- **_Daughter of Shino Aburame. She is very secluded and doesn't speak much. Shizu carries around a jar containing her pet spider inside. Shizu means, "quiet" _

**_Squad Four (Izumo Kamizuki):_  
><strong>

**Hanae Yamanaka- **_Hanae is the daughter of Ino Yamanaka. She is a very bossy and superficial person. She is also extremely vain and has strong beliefs in beauty and ugliness. Her name means, "Flower Blessing" due to Ino's obsession with flowers. She loves Osamu Uchiha and has an ongoing rivalry with Kazumi Haruno._

**Wataru- **_Wataru is a poor, homeless orphan who walks the streets of Konoha. He is the best friend of Kiyo, Ryoji, and Takane. Wataru is a very bright student, managing to crack the top ten percent of the ninja academy regardless of his life conditions. His name means "Navigation" I choose that particular name to symbolize Wataru's natural survival skills and how he can "navigate" through this harsh world._

**Chosamu Akimichi- **_An Akimichi clan member who idolizes Choji Akimichi. He is fat and out of shape. Chosamu is technically friends with Kouki Inuzuka, even though he only acts like one of his lackeys. The name Cho means "Butterfly" adding Samu which is "Courage."_

**Chiyoko Kaigoshi- **_Chiyoko is an aspiring medical nin with big dreams. She carries around the official medical nin training book with her everywhere she goes. Wataru understands her work ethic. Chiyoko means "Child of Forever" as she wants to help bring new life to people. Kaigoshi means "Caregiver" for obvious reasons._

_**Squad Six (Yugao Uzuki):**_

**Osamu Uchiha-** _SasukexKarin. Osamu is an extremely gifted ninja, his abilities contain both elements of the Uchiha clan and the Uzumaki clan in one vessel, making him the most talented ninja to come out of the academy in years. He is a walking heartthrob, and loves his quiet time. Osamu means "Ruler" because he wants to surpass his father who is the "ruler" of Konoha._

**Kouki Inuzuka- **_The son of Kiba Inuzuka. Kouki is the neighborhood bully who beats up everyone. He has a soft side however which showed when he hung out with Yukikisu. Kouki means, "Vast and strong" due to his physical strength._

**Hideharu Gekko- **_Hideharu is probably my second favorite character lmao. He comes from a docile samurai background. As stated by Konohamaru, he has a very steep learning curve before he can be called a shinobi. Yugao is fascinated by him because he reminds her of her ex-lover Hayate Gekko. He wields a blade. Hideharu means "Flourishing Autumn." Gekko means "Moonbeam."_

**Yukikisu Suzushi- **_Yukikisu is a shy girl who doesn't seem to be from the Leaf village. Her and Kouki might have some feelings between each other lol. Yuki means "Snow" while kisu means "Kiss." Suzushi simply means "Cool." _


	12. Chapter 11: Challenge Of The Challenge

**Chapter 11: ****Challenge of the Challenge**

**Chapter Illustration: ****Ryoji faces the audience and folds his arms. His nostrils flare up and a look of anger is in his eyes. Kiyo and Takane stand on both sides of him, with intimidating eyes and folded arms as well.**

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><p><strong>~Forest, Outside Konohagakure~<strong>

The crunching branches of leaves sounded continuously as the four aspiring gennin trekked through the dense forest. As expected, only a puny amount of sunlight could be seen peeking through the treetops above. Ryoji, Takane, Mai, and Kiyo had been walking for what felt like hours upon hours of time.

Kiyo, with sweat dripping in his eyes, looked upward at the lone lights. He was hopeful that somehow they'd be able to pick up some clues on how to make it out of their predicament. The caws of birds could be heard in the distance, while the pestering zipping of insects whizzed past his ears. Surprisingly, this forest was tranquil, even without the sun's comfort. The high trees provided a sense of solitude and protection from the whole outside world.

Unfortunately, the map Genma had given the group earlier had been of no use so far. Every direction they turned looked exactly the same as the last one. Mai, who held the map, seemingly began to grow more frustrated with each dead end reached. Takane, a usually patient fellow, was starting to sigh and shake his head. The feeling of the two was mutual with Ryoji, who was visibly red with fury. The Hyuga clansmen bowed his head and took a slight exhale, but he knew that his mental toughness would be tested today in the first place.

Mai stopped suddenly, causing her three teammates who were in a line to stop behind her. All three of them looked up at her. "…Wait guys…um I think this is another wrong turn." She said, turning the map over with furrowed eyebrows, trying to figure out what she was looking at. Loud groins sounded simultaneously from the boys.

This time Ryoji exploded. "Oh! Really!?" He shouted, with overblown sarcasm. "What else have you 'thought' all day? Huh?! No shit we're lost!"

The kunoichi turned to her teammate. She waved a finger in his face, "Oh!? Well, How about you read this map you idiot! I don't see you doing any kind of pitching in!"

"Fuck that!" The maroon-haired boy immediately ripped the scroll from Mai's hand. "Ya' wanna know what I think about this stupid map!?"

Takane, Kiyo, and Mai's eyes widened, as each of them quickly realized what Ryoji's motives were.

None of the four could sense the presence of the bandanna-wearing shinobi, Genma, watching them from a high tree branch. The Jonin was shrouded by the shadow of trees, completely hidden. Sweat rolled down his cheek at the sight of his students. _"This kid can't be that foolish…" _

On the ground, Ryoji let the scroll float in the air. "Screw Genma-Sensei!" The boy shouted. He cocked back his leg and executed a hefty kick, sending the map flying through the air like a shooting star. It disappeared deep into the bushes, surely gone forever. Mai, Kiyo, and Takane's mouths almost touched the grassy floor.

Genma gave himself a face-palm and took a sight. _"Spoke too soon..."_ He shook his head, _"…Welp…there goes one trick…" _

"Hmph!" Ryoji folded his arms, and showed off a smug grin. "That'll show him!"

Takane and Kiyo stood speechless and not too long later, a fist flew through the air and pounded back of the boy's head, causing him to fall over on the floor. "What is the matter with you?!" Mai shouted furiously, tiger teeth appearing in her mouth.

"Hey! What'd you do that for!?" Ryoji shouted, rubbing grass out of his hair.

"You just threw away our only chance at passing this damn test, Bonehead!" The fierce Kunoichi said, grabbing the collar of Ryoji's shirt. "How the hell are we going to make it to that mountain now!?"

Ryoji massaged the big bulge growing on his head, and whimpered as a response. Takane made a nervous chuckle, "…Hey guys, l think we should just calm down and think this one out, huh?"

Kiyo entered, "Takane's right you two. We haven't actually made any effort to be strategic here."

Mai let Ryoji drop to the ground and turned away, folding her arms in the process. "Fine." She uttered.

"Maybe this is all a part of, Genma-Sensei's plan…giving us a messed up map and all." The Hyuga clansmen said, rubbing his chin. "...After all, he never said that he_ wouldn't_ try and sabotage us. There has to be something in this place that can show us the right path outta here…"

Ryoji got back to his feet. "Well if there's a will there's a way, right!? Follow me." He immediately started to walk in the opposite direction Mai had led them to.

The rest of the group jolted to attention. "Wait…where do you think you're going…?" Kiyo asked, sweat dropping.

"Don't ask questions just come on already! We don't have all day, remember?" Ryoji responded, continuing to trail-blaze ahead. "We won't get anywhere if we just stand around."

The three gave each other a glance, shrugged, and followed after their teammate.

* * *

><p><strong>~A Few More Hours Later~<strong>

"Ryoji…where are you taking us?" Takane asked, slouched over, dragging his near lifeless legs over fallen tree branches and steep grass.

Ryoji didn't respond, and continued to march ahead.

"We've been walking for almost two hours now…are you on to something at all yet?" Kiyo added, using his forearm to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

The boy immediately turned around at the group. "Listen! It's something called instincts, Ok!? Do you guys not trust me or something!?

Takane and Kiyo both took sighs and ignored the comment. Mai, who was still folding her arms, yawned broadly. "Should've known better than to follow a bonehead…" She said nonchalantly taking a shrug.

Ryoji quickly turned his attention to her and swung his arm in a quick motion. "Why yo-"

Suddenly, he felt his arm swipe a thin material, almost like a spider web. However, this material wasn't from any insect. The boy looked and could see a slim white cloth wire flowing through the air. It had been freshly cut by Ryoji's arm movement. His eyes widened, _"What the heck was that...?"_

In the corner of his eye, three grey objects were flying right at him. They were shuriken.

Without a slight bit of hesitation, Kiyo dashed in front of his friend with a Kunai knife ready. Within seconds, he deflected all of the shuriken. _"A trap?" _ He thought. "…Everyone watch out!"

Takane and Mai turned their heads to the sight of more stars headed their way as well. Both shinobi dodged them with ease, but they weren't out of the woods just yet.

Each of the many shuriken from the assault had lodged themselves into surrounding trees around the group of Gennin. Kiyo noticed this right away. _"This is bad..!" _He thought, frantically noticing the pattern encircling them. White wires were wrapped around the almost all of the trees, and upon looking closer at the trunks, exploding tags could be seen nearly camouflaged in the bark.

"Shit! Bombs!" He shouted.

The tags lit on fire from the shuriken slicing the wires that kept them deactivated. The paper was slowly starting to light on fire. The sizzling of the molten paper could be heard from all directions by each of the four young kids.

In the nick of time, the four shinobi jumped in different directions on first instinct. A huge blast followed which caused a shock-wave to knock each of them out of the air. All four were sent flying to different areas of the woods.

Branches and twigs flew everywhere, and the giant trees toppled over each other. Crashing trees created a devastating sound, and like domino, the chain reaction spread from one giant plant to another, causing them to take a fall. The forest was almost completely disfigured.

A distance away, Genma watched from a still-standing tree in silence. _"hmm…I think I overdid it a little." _He thought, taking a chuckle. _"But that should do the trick...the real fun can begin now…"_

* * *

><p><strong>~Elsewhere in the forest~<strong>

"Ughhh…" Kiyo groaned.

He struggled to get off of his back, brushing twigs and spillover grass off of his body. He was covered in small cuts and with each slight movement, a wince in pain followed.

"Fuck…" He said, as he looked from left to right. All he could see were broken tree trunks and branches lodged into mounds of tall grass. Kiyo picked himself up, "…Sensei has got to be behind this one...but why virtually destroy the woods?"

There was no sign of the rest of his teammates, or even Genma for that matter. Even though he had been sent flying from his original spot in the forest, the place Kiyo found himself in now was no different in terms of looks. Everything was exactly the same, not including the plant life that had been harmed in the blast. _"…This place sure is strange…it's like a four dimensional mirror or something…could this be Genjutsu?"_ He thought, scratching his head.

He put his palm onto a tree and felt it's texture. _"Too weird to be any Jutsu...this is no illusion."_

Suddenly Kiyo realized something, "…_That blast cut me off from the rest of the squad…and there's no way to figure out where they could be just yet…shit. Who knows where they could be now." _

He pulled a kunai from his pocket, and began to slash through the tall grass, _"I gotta find them. Especially before Ryoji does something stupid…"_

* * *

><p><strong>~Elsewhere in the forest~<strong>

"N-no wait! I'm not ready yet!"

Takane took slow steps backwards. He was petrified at the sight of Genma, who stood in front of him with folded arms. "I don't even know where my teammates are! You're the one who said teamwork is the key to success!" He pleaded, waving his arms. "Don't hurt me!"

Genma rolled his eyes, "Listen kid I'm starting to get really irritated with your ass…" He rubbed his forehead; as he was starting get a migraine. "Your opponent is me. You have no help, so deal with it." The Jonin pulled out three shuriken from his pocket.

Takane's eyes widened big time, and his let out a slight gasp. "No! No! No! Stop! I can't beat you all by myself!"

In an instant, Genma swiftly threw the weapons at his student after shouting a loud "shut up". The boy let out a yelp, and pulled out a small metal sphere from his pocket. He held his hand out in front of him and squeezed it with force. Suddenly, three metal spines emerged from it, pointing in 3 different directions. From that, more and more spines started to burst out and connect to each other, and around Takane's clenched fist.

It wasn't long before the metal had become a full-blown shield which formed around the ball in the aspiring Gennin's hand. The new weapon blocked the shuriken effortlessly. Genma's eyes widened in curiousity, _"Ooh...a shield. How interesting…" _

The Jonin closely examined the texture of the weapon. The symbol in the center was a Square engraved into the metal, signifying the Mamoru clan. _"...Ah...I almost forgot that he was a part of the Mamoru clan...Hmm, not surprised that that's his weapon of choice..."_

Takane peeked his head over the big shield to see what Genma was doing now. Genma propped his hands on his hips. "...I see that you can defend yourself now Kid…it's time to really see what you can do." He said with a laugh. The Arabian-hat wearing boy gulped and clenched his teeth.

"Takane Mamoru…prepare yourself!"

Genma charged into the fray at the speed of light, ignoring the loud girly scream that came from Takane's throat

**~What will Takane do next?!~**


	13. Chapter 12: The Hard Knocks Of The Jungl

_**To the Readers from LordHughes:** _

Happy Veterans day to all of my BoS readers out there!

I hope you guys are all enjoying the holiday. I had a case of severe writers block over the last few days and I really needed some off-time to focus and balance all of my scary thoughts lol. However, I find it kinda hard to be motivated when I get 0 feedback at all.

I know I have some consistent readers of this story of mine, so I'm writing this to you guys. Don't be shy to leave a review or comment after reading, it really makes all of my work worth it. I have no idea whether people are actually enjoying this, or not because no one is reviewing.

But anyway, enjoy this chapter! New chapters will come out once a week, every **Friday at 2:00 PM Est!**

**Chapter 12: ****The Hard Knocks of the Jungle**

**Chapter Illustration: ****Ryoji is in a Boxing Gym inside of the ring. He is wearing large boxing gloves and long shorts with a pair of boxing shoes. With determined eyes, he punches a hefty sandbag being held by Rock Lee. Ryoji's body is glistening with sweat. Kazumi sits in the corner with the same attire as Ryoji, tuckered out from her training before his.**

* * *

><p>The speed at which Genma came at Takane with was almost blinding. The wind was slashed in two, and the lowly Gennin couldn't keep up with his bare eyes. Genma's green flak jacket could only be seen for split seconds and appeared once on the left and followed by the right, and so forth. <em>"He's so fast! How can I stop him?!" <em> Takane panicked, sweat dropping down his face.

Suddenly, the Jonin appeared right in front of his view. Takane's eyes widened and he rammed his teacher with his wide shield. However, as his attack connected, Takane couldn't feel anything being hit on the other side, just pure air. "…Wha-"

A hand from his right swiped across the back of his hand, knocking him forward. The young Mamoru stumbled forward and was completely off balance when a foot bumped into his own, causing him to trip over onto the grassy floor. _"Ouch…what speed…so this is what a Jonin can do…"_

Above him stood Genma Shiranui, who was shaking his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. C'mon now kid…that's one of the most basic after-image techniques a guy can use…it's not even a Jutsu."

Takane slowly picked himself off the ground and readied his shield once again. "You…you're too fast, Sensei…" He uttered, still dealing with the nagging pain in his ankles.

"Well, believe it or not…that's not even a quarter of my speed." Genma twirled his toothpick in his hands. "When are you gonna grow some balls...you're on the verge of failing your Gennin Exam."

Takane's eyes widened, and he gasped in shock. He immediately started to sweat harder, and even got lightheaded. "…Failing my…Gennin Exam?" He repeated, trying to make sense of his situation. "…I didn't even get to-"

Genma gave him a stern glare, "Come at me!" He stuck the wooden stick back into his mouth. "…Or I won't hesitate to put you in a hospital on my own!"

Tears were starting to build in the back of the young Gennin's eyes, he was trapped. Takane knew he was no match for a Jonin like Genma, but he also knew that if he didn't put up a fight his dreams of becoming a shinobi would fade away for another four years with Konohamaru. _"…This can't be happening…I can't beat this guy alone…"_

He looked up and saw Genma's angry face._ "B…but…I gotta try!" _He concluded, jumping at his teacher with his shield cocked back.

He swung the big hunk of steel, which Genma easily dodged by swaying to the right. Swinging his arm in the opposite direction, the shield swiped at Genma the opposite way. The Jonin dodged it by swaying to the other side. Quickly, Takane continued to swing his arm back and forth but to no avail. He let out a battle cry, hoping that some way he'd connect a hit.

As he swung his shield, deep inside he felt hopeless, as if he'd already lost. The attacks weren't even remotely close to touching the man. The tears in the back of his eye sockets were now flowing up to his eyelids, and soon began to run down his cheek. His battle cry was now a different kind of crying.

Genma's eyes widened as he swayed left and right dodging the attacks. _"Crying..? Where's the willpower?" _

The Jonin dodged one last attack by his pupil and gripped his shield-baring hand, stopping the rapid swinging in its tracks. He tugged the boy's arm and brought him closer to his body. Genma then launched a gentle knee into the stomach of Takane. He flew back a few feet into the floor again.

Takane writhed in pain, gripping his stomach. He was weeping hopelessly, rolling back and forth on the ground. The shield had flown a few feet away from him and Genma alike and curled up back into the grey marble form from before.

Genma glanced at the small ball, and back at Takane with tears in his eyes and snot running down his nose. _"…Sheesh…I didn't even hit him that hard." _He thought to himself, scratching his grey hair. "_…So that shield of his is only activated when his chakra is squeezed into it…Interesting."_

He walked over to the small marble and picked it up. He squeezed it in his hand and inserted his own chakra into the object; however, the spines failed to shoot out and connect to form the shield. _"…Kekkei Genkai…Mamoru bloodline trait. Just as I thought…" _The Jonin tossed the ball to the felled Gennin. "…Kid…have you given up?" He asked.

Takane opened one eye, grabbed his ball and began to scoot backwards, creating space between the two. "Sensei I can't win! You know I can't! I can't find my teammates, and I'm not strong enough to win on my ow-"

"Stop your whining you little runt!" Genma shouted, with ferocity in his voice. Takane immediately shut his mouth.

"What kind of shinobi are you!? Do you have no pride at all?!"

Takane looked down at the ground, "…I do have pride but-"

"But nothing! I remember it was you who told me that your goal was to protect your friends and family, how the hell do you expect to do that without being able to protect your damn self!? Don't tell me you have any pride at all when you've shown otherwise!"

The Gennin's tears started to flow even more. He started to sniffle. "You're right sensei! I'm weak…I'm a pathetic wimp!" He shouted, bursting out into a full breakdown.

Genma's eyes widened, _"…Huh..? I hope I wasn't that serious…" _

"I just don't have what it takes to fight, sensei! I don't know what I was thinking trying to be a shinobi! I just wanted to help my village…but I'm such a weakling!" He cried, head in his hands.

Genma watched him, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "…Let me ask you a question kid…"

Takane wiped his tears with his forearm. "…The Mamoru clan of yours…aren't you guys...well...pacifist?" The Jonin asked. "That chakra of yours' is for steel work and crafting, not for battle…a clan of metal workers and blacksmiths…am I correct?"

Takane nodded quietly, "Yes…"

"…So what compels you to do this job? Why exactly do you want to be a shinobi..?"

The young Gennin hopeful looked up at him and then down at the ground again. He slowly opened his mouth, "It was a when I was younger..."

* * *

><p><em><strong>-Flashback, Konohagakure-<strong>_

A little shack stood in a secluded area of the Konohagakure marketplace. The old wooden sign on the top read, _"Mamoru Smithson" _on it in shabby painted letters. Loud siring sounds could be heard from the depths of the home, a sign of hard work going on.

Rikishi Mamoru removed his desert Arabian-style hat from his head. His brown, spiky hair popped up and was soon slicked down by his sweaty hands. He used his forearm to wipe the perspiration from his face. His brown pants were rolled up all the way to his kneecaps as he sat on a wooden box. Black soot-like dust covered his hands and burrowed themselves under his fingernails. Even the man's face was dirty and oily, along with the glistening wetness of his sweat. The white t-shirt he had once worn was sprawled on the floor and had a dark color to it, and was damp.

He stretched back and cracked his joints. A tired yawn blurted out of his mouth. "...What a job this is..." He mumbled under his breath as he tried to keep himself awake.

"I don't blame you for being all sleepy..."

Rikishi turned at the sound of the female voice which came from a doorway to his right. "After all...You _have _been working since sunrise, my husband. Mid-day means lunch time..."

A woman with long brown hair, and gentle eyes stepped down from the stepping blocks in the doorway. In her hands was a plate of beans, rice and meat.

The man's eyes widened and his mouth began to water. He hoped up out of his seat and dashed over to her, grabbing the food from her hands in an instant. This made the woman frown, "...You're welcome, Rikishi. You are really smelly."

Rikishi, who had already stuffed his mouth with some of the food, turned back to her slightly embarrassed. "...Ooop. Sorry Minto, dear." He managed to say, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Minto peeked over her husband's shoulder, and focused her attention on an extremely wide, but shallow, round pot. Inside of it was a grey liquid substance, which she quickly realized was the same dusty thing on Rikishi's hands and face. "...What are you making today, honey?" She asked.

The man had sat back down on the wooden box next to the pot, and placed his plate of food next to it. "Oh this? I got a request to craft a staff for a shinobi back home in Iwagakure...it's been a long process." He said with a laugh. "I should be down with it before nightfall though..."

Minto smiled back at her husband, but soon felt something on her leg. She looked down only to see a small child, holding onto it, peeking at her husband. "Rikishi, look who woke up from his nap."

Rikishi saw his son as well, and his face lit up with happiness. "...Yep! It's the big man of the house! Takane..."

The woman picked up their child, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm surprised I didn't notice him sooner...he always does this..."

"There isn't anything wrong with sneaking into his daddy's workplace...he want's to know what I do for a living, I think!" Rikishi responded proudly, never taking his focus off of his young son.

Minto sighed, and placed the kid back down. "I see...well I'll leave you too alone then. Don't get any of that iron on his body...Rikishi." The woman left the room.

The man pulled up a spare box and placed it next to his own, and motioned for his young son to sit next to him and watch. "Now son...what is your name?" The boy thought for a second, and looked back up at this father, "Takane, father." He said, with a soft voice.

"Yes...but what is your full name?" Rikishi responded with a chuckle.

"Um...Takane Mamoru."

"Good!" He patted Takane on his small head. "...And you know that that means you're apart of the Mamoru Clan...is that so?"

"Yes, father."

"Now, the Mamoru clan is known for one thing, and one thing only. That is...Engineering."

"Enginary..?" The boy said, struggling to repeat the word his father introduced to him.

"Close enough...but Engineering." He said. Rikishi dipped his hands into the grey liquid in the pot and slowly swirled his hands in it. "...This is Iron..."

Takane's eyes widened in amazement of the rather simple substance.

"...However...there's two different kinds of iron that exist in this earth, my son. There's Iron that's a _chemical_ element...and Iron from a _Chakra_ Element. We, the Mamoru's, use 'Iron' from our own individual chakras..."

The little boy was completely far-gone from what his father was talking about. He nodded and scratched his head.

"Haha. I know this may sound strange to you now...but soon you will understand just how special we are as a clan. Watch me." Rikishi pulled from the shapeless liquid, a clump of the false iron which was unnoticeably becoming harder and harder by the second. "...This grey stuff here is my own Chakra...which has been manipulated into an Iron-like liquid...also referred to as 'Nisetetsu', false Iron."

Within minutes, the clump of chakra iron had become solid. Rikishi gently handed it to his son, who held it in pure and utter astonishment.

"This is what daddy does all day...I make this _(**A/N:** Points to the pot of chakra-iron briefly)_, into objects and sell them to people." He concluded proudly.

The little Takane stuck his hand in his mouth and sucked his fingers, causing his father's sweat to drop. Nisetetsu was so out of his area of focus at the moment.

Suddenly, a knock came from the front door.

Rikishi stood up, and let his son sit on his wooden box while he went to answer it himself. _(**A/N: **How irresponsible lol). _However, as soon as he was close to reaching it, Minto, who was already in the kitchen, grabbed the doorknob herself.

The older Mamoru jolted to a stop in the dead center of the small kitchen, at the sight of the two figures that appeared in the clearing. Minto questioningly looked the two visitors up and down before asking who they were. "...Um...how may I help you two?" She asked politely, even with a look of discomfort on her face.

Two men wearing all black jumpsuits stood at the door. The man in the front was a middle-aged looking man with crow's feet on his eye lids. He had a scar which dragged across the bridge of his nose and his scalp was covered in bandages. Behind him was a bigger and buffer man with wild, spiked-up red hair. He stood about six foot, six inches tall. Both men wore Iwagakure headbands.

Rikishi's heart almost stopped beating at the sight of the two. He started to perspire. _"...Wha...what could those two...be doing here in Konoha..?" _He thought, going into a panic.

The bandaged man tipped his headgear at the young mother, and showed her a devilishly charming smile on his rather rugged face. "...Is Rikishi Mamoru home, sweetheart...?" He asked, voice deep and raspy.

Even though Minto had no idea who these two strangers from the hidden stone were, nothing could stop her from feeling a bad ache in the pit of her gut. She wanted to protect her husband. "...Um...I'm sorry he's no-"

"No, Minto..." Rikishi's hand clasped gently on her shoulder, "...No need to lie...I'm gonna be just fine." He whispered to her as he came to the door. "This will be real quick."

Minto nodded reluctantly, and showed off a frown. "...I don't have a good feeling about this one, Rikishi..." She responded in a low tone. Her husband ignored it. "Gentlemen..." He said, walking out onto the front porch, gesturing for the two to step out onto the front lawn.

Rikishi made sure he closed the door behind him, subtly shielding the two men from his wife, son, and household. Although he was horrified, he knew that he was a father over a coward.

Inside, the house Minto watched from a small kitchen window anxiously, tears almost appearing in her eyes. She could see in her husband's eyes that these two visitors were bad news. Takane came from the work room into the kitchen and could sense his mother's angst. He grabbed her legs. _"Rikishi...be safe." _Minto said to herself.

"You remember me, Rikishi?" The bandaged man said, hands in his pockets. A smirk appeared across his face.

Beads of sweat ran down Rikishi's face, his mouth grew dry. "...Yes."

"What's my name..?"

"Souichiro Katani...from Iwagakure..."

"Ah, my good man! I knew you couldn't forget me. I'm quite a character don't you think?" The bandaged man boasted with a smug chuckle. This didn't amuse Rikishi at all. "...If I recall correctly, you, Rikishi Mamoru...have a debt to me? Isn't that right?"

"Listen...Souichiro, my family and I are doing the best we can...it's hard to-"

"But isn't that why you fled from Iwa, my dear Mamoru? Souichiro interrupted, imposing his will on the man. Rikishi closed his mouth and could only stay quiet.

"...Moved out to the leaf village with your family for 'better work'? Didn't you? Or...is that the story you told everyone? Thinking I wouldn't track you down...it's a shame how your son doesn't know what kind of coward his father is..."

"...I didn't lie to you..." Rikishi said.

"Where's my money, you insect!?" Souichiro responded immediately. "Enough chit-chat. Your free-loading, money-grabbin' clan always has been good at making dough...fork it over!"

Rikishi growled, "...You can go to hell...I'm done running from you. I have a family to protect."

Souichiro's eyes widened slightly, but soon furrowed in a subtle anger. "Omono..." He motioned to his tall partner. The red haired man smirked and nodded, then proceeded to dash at a lightning speed at the blacksmith. He kneed the man in the stomach, dropping him immediately.

Rikishi groaned loudly in pain.

Souichiro stood above Rikishi. "That's pretty big talk for someone who isn't even a shinobi! Have you forgotten who you're dealing with here, Rikishi?" He knelt down to the groaning man's level. With a soft voice he whispered, "...I could slaughter you, that bitch, and that little brat all within the next hour...is that what you want?"

Rikishi didn't reply, he just held his aching stomach.

The Iwagakure shinobi stood up again, and launched a kick right at Rikishi's body. "Don't..!Ever..!Forget..! What you are..!" He shouted between kicks. " You're garbage, your clan is garbage, and you're all cowards! The longer you make me wait for my fucking cash, the more I'll just keep hounding your ass, you got me!?" He grabbed a handful of Rikishi's hair and pulled his head back, making him look the man in his eyes.

"Next time...it'll be her..." Souichiro pointed at Minto, who stood in the open door with tears in her eyes. "Let's go Omono." He disappeared. The big man took this opportunity to spit on Rikishi, and followed

Minto ran out and knelt down, wrapping her arms around her husband. She sobbed miserably as she held his head in her arms. Blood leaked from Rikishi's mouth and nose. He was severely injured from the kicks.

Takane watched from the porch. He could do nothing but cry.

_**-End of Flashback-**_

* * *

><p>"...Ever since then...I decided that I would never let anyone I cared about be pushed around again..! But I already failed because that person is myself!" Takane shouted angrily, he punched the ground.<p>

Genma could see the visible pain in his eyes. The Jonin stuffed his ninja tools back into their pockets and walked over to his student. He crouched down and rested his warm hand on Takane's head. This caused the boy to look up.

He saw a big smile on Genma's face. "...You've got a big heart, Takane. I admire it." Genma said softly. Takane was stunned.

"Huh..?" He asked, eyes wide opening. "...I couldn't even fight back..."

Genma shook his head, "Empathy is the strongest trait or weakness of any shinobi. The challenge is where you stand...how you can turn it from a weakness to a strength."

Takane listened.

"...A good soul makes a good shinobi...one that doesn't value the life of his comrades and fellow villagers isn't fit to hoist a headband on his head. You have that rare ability to think about others before yourself..." Genma glanced back at his student, "...The advantage belongs to you."

Genma disappeared into smoke.

* * *

><p><strong>~Elsewhere in the Forest~<strong>

Mai's brown eyes shifted back and forth through the tops of the trees. Birds flew frantically out from the forests, and she knew that there was commotion near by. Genma must have been close, and better yet, he was already engaging in battle with at least one of her teammates, if not all three.

_"Somethings happening...is it Genma-Sensei..? Who could he be fighting with?"_

She had already readied her bow and arrows. Any wrong turn could be fatal, as was proven with the bombs from earlier. Mai, like Kiyo and Takane, had been separated from her other three teammates in the explosion, and was looking for anything that would help insure her way to the mountain.

The Kunoichi wasn't too big on teamwork (even though it was tolerable) and could care less whether the other three boys made it with her or not. One thing was certain in Mai's mind however; she was going to become a Gennin by any means possible. _"If this is some kind of trick or something, he'd better believe that I'm ready for anything..." _She thought, tightening her headband.

Suddenly, a loud sound rang in her ears, nearly startling her to death. It was a loud girly shriek.

Mai faced the direction of the sound, and immediately a sense of excitement ran down her spine.

_"That sounded like Takane...hmph, that means Genma-Sensei could be over there too..."_

**~Takane defeated! Who will be next!?~**


	14. Chapter 13: Pride

_**To the Readers from LordHughes:**_

Hello readers!

It's been quite a while since I updated, I had a mix of laptop issues and also a hefty hefty exam schedule. There wasn't much time to write or even get my thoughts together until recently lol. Please forgive this struggling college slave!

Also, I would like to that Shang for getting back to me and leaving a review, as well as everyone else who's checked this fanfic out and reviewed. I work super hard on planning this story out, and I promise to give you quality work.

But nonetheless, enjoy this chapter and pleassssseeeee leave a review and don't be shy with the feedback, it all helps.

**Chapter 13: ****Pride**

**Chapter Illustration:**** Yukikisu and Kouki sit at a park bench; they watch Akamato play with a chew toy. Both have smiles on their faces.**

* * *

><p>Mai dashed through the leafy green bushes as fast as she could. This was finally her chance to shine and test her abilities against a Jonin. She carried her bag containing her bow and arrow with determination as the wind blew in her face. He was close.<p>

"_I can hardly contain my excitement! Now I can finally let loose!" _She thought, her heart nearly bursting out of her chest. _"…and who better to show off for then my own Jonin leader..? This is my time to shine…"_

After a few minutes however, the girl stopped dead in her tracks. She skid to a stop, and quickly whipped a kunai out from her pocket. Her head jolted from left to right, eyes scanning the area.

The keen shinobi sense of hers had kicked in. The man's powerful chakra was close by, and the kunoichi knew exactly who it was. In a fraction of a second, she twisted the kunai knife around her finger and flung it in a direction behind her.

It hit another one, which was coming from seemingly nowhere. Both weapons twirled in the air before falling lifelessly to the jungle floor. Mai glanced at the two knives and soon looked up after hearing a smug, "Impressive…"

Genma allowed himself to drop from the trees up top and down onto the battleground. He clapped his hands rhythmically and showed off a playful smile. Mai was not amused in the slightest.

"…You actually sniffed out my surprise attack, eh? You might be the second coming of Tsunade herself." He joked.

Mai's eyebrows tightened up, and she let out a slight growl. "I'm not here to play games with you, Sensei…put up your guard or I'll slice you all up!"

Genma gave his student a disappointed look as his sweat dripped. "Well sheesh…you don't gotta be so cranky about it." He looked into her fierce amber eyes and got the message that she was serious. With a sigh he said, "…Alright, have at it then I guess…"

Mai smirked, and with lightning speed, twirled her body into a 360 degree spinning kick. Genma dodged the attack by arching his back backwards, allowing the leg to swing right above his nose. However, the girl was prepared and used her twirling momentum to execute a leg sweep slightly over the grass with the same leg.

Genma cart wheeled backwards into a somersault and dodged it. He flew through the air and launched a group of shuriken at the kunoichi who blocked them with her own, using lightning quick instincts. The six or so ninja stars scattered all across the floor. Mai dashed at her teacher who was just descending from out of the air.

She reached into her bag and pulled out her bow and a single arrow. Quickly, she loaded the bow and fired the sharp, black-tipped arrow at the Jonin. Genma's eyes grew wide as he realized that there was no way to dodge it. The arrow pierced right through his chest, and sent him flying backwards into a tree.

The Jonin was pinned to the tree and wouldn't budge one bit. Blood slowly ran from his mouth as he hung there, unconscious. The tip of the arrow could be seen sticking out the opposite side of the tree. Mai ran to the scene, eyes wide open. "…Oh no…did I kill him?" She said under her breath.

She soon came back to her senses and realized that Genma wasn't going to be defeated from a simple attack such as that. Genma's body suddenly started to decompose into a rooting carcass, which caused Mai to hop back slightly. She watched as the Jonin's body burst into a swirling pile of leaves.

"_Shit…I figured that was a substitution jutsu…" _ Mai thought frantically looking around for her opponent. Quickly, she jolted in surprise as her eyes fixed themselves on the ground. The dirt was slowly popping up as if a mole was traveling under the floor at a lightning pace.

Mai jumped high up in the air before a blue-gloved hand reached out of the dirt to grab her ankle. She reached for two arrows in her bag and loaded them in the bow, firing them at Genma who was emerging from the soil. He jumped backwards to dodge them.

What Mai didn't know was that another Genma was lurking in the high tree branches as she flew through the air. The shadow clone of Genma jumped from the leaves and grabbed the girl who was helpless. "Gotcha..!" It said, with Genma's trademark smile. The kunoichi's eyes widened, _"…A shadow clone in the trees and one underground…? How…?" _Mai gave no response back to him and shot an arrow at a higher branch as they fell.

The arrow had a rope wrapped around its tail and was attached to Mai's bow. As the arrow sunk into the bark of the tree branch, the rope became tight. This allowed Mai to swing from it like Tarzan, instead of hitting the floor with the Genma clone dragging her down. The clone held onto her ankles as the kunoichi swung from the rope, the wind pushing her at an extremely high rate. She twisted nimbly, kicking the shadow clone's hands from her ankles.

The momentum sent him flying right at the real Genma who had tried to grab her ankles from underground at first. He dodged the clone, which ended up hitting a tree and poofing into smoke. Genma smirked in satisfaction, _"Ah…she had that rope set up beforehand…a backup plan just in case. Impressive." _

He watched as she used a kunai to sever the rope from her bow and jumped onto a tree branch. She hid herself under the cover of the tree leaves._"…He took the time to use his earth element, and create two shadow clones. That decomposing body was an extended use of the substitution jutsu as a decoy, but also as a way to connect to the tree trunk and send one clone upward into the trees, and the other downwards from the roots to the dirt below. This guy really is good…"_ Mai backtracked as she hid.

Genma sighed; he wasn't the one that entertained a game of find the needle in the haystack. "…Oh no…Hey kid, I'm the only one that's allowed to play possum, ok? Don't waste my time." He shouted.

Mai watched his movements from above, eyes peeking through green leaves. "Hmph…" She said to herself. "…this isn't gonna be a walk in the park, that's for sure."

"I told your other friend the same thing that I'm gonna tell you now..!" He continued to shout. "You don't have long before nightfall! You're obviously risking your chances of becoming a gennin here!"

Mai smirked, "You shouldn't talk so much Genma-sensai!" She responded, still in hiding. "Isn't a shinobi supposed to know when he is defeated?!"

Genma furrowed his eyebrow, "…Defeated..?" He asked himself.

Suddenly, from the trees another arrow flew right him. However, he dodged it by jumping to his left. Two more came, which he easily dodged again. He picked his teeth with his long tooth pick and yawned. "You gotta be kidding me… I know you Uzura guys fight with bow and arrows, but sheesh, give it a break…"

The kunoichi growled with fury, "…Shut the fuck up!" She shouted.

A handful of arrows fired from behind the cover as Genma simply continued to dodge them, and after a few moments, the attacks stopped all together. The jonin looked left and right at the many arrows sticking up idly in the dirt. He shrugged, "Meh…poor girl must've ran out of arrows, what a shame."

Before Genma let his guard down, he saw something which made him stop in his tracks. Small wires had been connected to each arrow and extended all the way into the branches above. _"…what the..?" _

In the trees, Mai formed a single hand. The thin wires were held fastened in between her teeth. "As I said before, sensei…" She whispered with a look of determination in her eyes. "…you're defeated…this is for disrespecting me in the classroom the other day!" Genma looked up, as he heard her scream the last sentence.

"_Katon: Kasai Saji no Jutsu!" _Mai shouted. Flames from her mouth surged from her mouth and travelled downwards using the wire as a medium. They were headed right towards the arrows that had missed Genma earlier, and he didn't realize that they had made a huge encirclement around him. He was trapped and bound to be engulfed in a circle of flames.

The Jonin master held his toothpick, and in a flash, spit it from his mouth at the point where the flames were surging from. The lengthy piece of wood flung itself past the fire and into the bushes. Seconds later, the place where the man stood had been cast in a catastrophic fireball. The flames had hit each of the arrows and exploded, scorching the area.

Mai smiled, holding back her excitement. "No way he could've dodged that one! Nice work Mai, you outdid yourse-"

The toothpick appeared from the bushes, which caused Mai to turn her head out of the way. Startled, the Kunoichi scooted away from it on the tree branch. Before she could even think, a gloved backhand was flying right towards her face. She made a desperate effort to block it with her bow but the force was too powerful. She tumbled through the air and landed on her back in the grass.

Genma ripped the toothpick out of the tree bark, and hopped down to her on ground level. _"…for an Uzura clansman…she sure is a skilled little witch."_He thought._ "Even forced me to use my Hiraishin to escape that mess..."_

Mai was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Genma was able to dodge her attack. She stood speechless, looking at the man. Her sweaty palms could barely stop the bow from slipping out.

An idea soon came into the Jonin's mind. He smirked, and dashed at his student as quickly as possible. Mai pulled out a few kunai and threw them at the man who was coming right at her. Genma swerved left and right, causing him to effortlessly evade the attacks. "…Hmph…" He launched a punch right at her face, which she dodged at the last second. Genma then followed up the attack with a kick to the side of her mid-section, which connected, causing Mai to wince in pain. This caused the Jonin to smirk.

"…Just as I thought…" He mumbled under his breath.

The look in Mai's face was a mix between frustration and fear as she stepped back holding her side in a slight pain. Genma closed the gap, and came with more hand-to-hand attacks.

He ceased to let up on half-speed punches and kicks to different areas of Mai's body. He observed that his young student struggled to keep up with all of the close-range combos he threw at her. Defeating her at this point would be of no substance. _"…Well, well…it seems I've found your weakness." _ He thought.

Genma continued to force Mai backwards with his attacks and kept her on the defensive. However, unlike Genma, Mai was slowly running out of stamina. He chuckled as she started to breathe heavily, "…what a shame; I thought you had potential for a second, but I should've known better considering what you are…" He finally stopped to attacks, and let his student stumble to her knees, desperate to catch her breath.

"What's…that…supposed to mean..?" Mai uttered in-between inhales and exhales.

Genma knew this would make her angry, "…Well you know…those Uzura guys…they can't really fight all that well. Matter of a fact…you might as well not even consider them Shinobi at all." He laughed, shrugging.

Mai immediately looked up. "What?!" She shouted.

"Oh, did I not say it loud enough..? The Uzura clan is quite pathe-"

Mai hopped right at Genma, bow being gripped with two hands now. She swung it at her sensei with a force, as if it were a baseball bat. Genma dodged the first swipe, and continued to dodge over and over again. "How reckless of you, girl. I'm disappointed."

"Shut up!" Mai snapped, continuing to swing her bow. "You don't know anything about my clan! You're just another naysayer and I'll prove you wrong!"

Genma smirked, and raised his eyebrows sarcastically, "Heavens how?" He asked.

"…I'm gonna be Hokage! Then my clan will get the respect it deserves…I'll show you that we're not just a bunch of useless mailmen!" Mai had taken a pause from her attacks to clinch her fists.

The toothpick jonin took another sarcastic gesture, "…listen…archery is such an outdated means of battle, how could you possibly become Hokage?"

Mai began to attack wildly again, swinging her bow left and right. The final swing was one that was gripped by Genma almost effortlessly. He ripped the bow from the young girl's hands and tossed it behind him, disarming her. It flung itself into the grass.

"Now what?" Genma asked with a smile.

Mai growled in frustration, face quickly becoming red. "...I…I'll show you…I'm telling you not to underestimate the Uzura name!" She groaned, knowing she had lost.

"Or else what..?"

The girl shouted in a fit of rage and threw a punch at her teacher. Genma gripped the fist and squeezed the knuckles, making her fall to her knees with absolutely no energy left. She had submitted to the power of her sensei. The grey-haired Jonin took a sigh and let the little stress he was feeling from the fight release itself.

"…You're aware that if this was a mission, you'd be dead, right?" He asked, still holding onto Mai's fist.

She didn't reply.

"It's easy to see what kind of fighter you are…you prefer safe, long-range attacks which always require a certain level of precision and the ability to think five steps ahead of your opponent…" Genma continued, "You were formidable for the most part…but your lack of discipline at the end is what sunk your ship."

Mai raised an eyebrow and looked up questioningly, "…Lack of discipline?"

"Yes. As soon as I was able to get you all riled up, you abandoned your fighting style out of anger and became undisciplined. Close combat is your weak suit, but yet, you quickly opted to it when you wanted to pound me into the dirt…" Genma explained.

Mai's gaze shifted to the ground.

"Your dream was to be Hokage, wasn't it?"

No answer.

"…well, I'll tell you what…A shinobi must never wear their emotions on their sleeve, especially in the heat of battle, it will cause you to make bad decisions, and you'll end up dead. Not being disciplined will also get you killed, if you can't find a way to work to your strengths, you won't ever be a formidable shinobi."

He let go of her fist and began to walk away. The toothpick went back into his mouth and flicked up and down with the help of his tongue. But suddenly, he turned back to Mai, who was still on her knees staring at the ground defeated.

"Oh! And by the way…" He started, "You're a lot like that hotheaded Ryoji…I hope you don't ever talk down to him, because you'll need each other one day…"

And with that, Genma disappeared after a quick jump.

Mai made a face, and lay down in the grass to rest.

**~Discipline is Key to the Success…who Is Genma's next challenger~**

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><p><em><strong>Katon: Kasai Saji no Jutsu (Fire Release: Fire Surge):<strong>_

The user lights flames on a medium in between their teeth, the flames surge at high speeds through the medium (ideally ninja wire, or rope) like an electric current and burn anything on the other side.

Class: Ninjutsu  
>Type: C<br>Nature: Fire

_**Hiraishin No Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique):**_

Using a marked seal, this technique allows the user to transport themselves to a given marked location instantaneously.

Class: Ninjutsu  
>Type: S<br>Nature: None


End file.
